The birth of conservative talk radio started with the demise of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987. Now with a liberal majority in Congress, there is discussion about bringing the Fairness Doctrine back. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Chuck Schumer are the forces behind the proposal.
Conservatives are ready to fight it and have a decent chance at preventing a revival of the Fairness Doctrine. Even Barack Obama said he opposes the Fairness Doctrine.
However, there is an alternative that does not sit well with conservatives and Obama supports it. That is localism, which some conservatives consider just another form of the Fairness Doctrine.
The FCC is considering the matter now, weighing such questions as whether to require stations to create “community advisory boards” made up of “local officials and other community leaders.” The boards would tell radio executives whether the content they broadcast is adequately addressing the needs of the community, subject to the board’s interpretation.
Free speech or equal access? It all depends if you are a conservative or a liberal.
Here’s an interesting take:
http://evidentlyeverywhere.wordpress.com/2008/11/27/abcd-cookie-monster/