More disingenuous BS, although in this case, I don't think most people give a
hoot.
If the FCC were mandating that a physical studio need not be retained, but that
a web site be made available for each local station, with a section for public
comments, or anything that might resemble a virtual studio, perhaps the BS
rhetoric from the FCC could be believed. I'm speaking also of the patronizing,
feel-good nonsense the Chairman himself said, about the wonders of "localism"
in radio and TV. (And then proceeded to give examples which had no "localism"
in them at all.)
But no. No web site, not even a local operator manning a century-old phone
line. Instead:
"One requirement from the main studio rule that remains is that stations will
still need to maintain a local or toll-free telephone number to provide ready
access for consumers to their local stations."
Laughable. In other words, some chap in India will be answering the phone, and
the best effect of anyone's venting will have been to get the complaint off
one's chest.
The problem, here too, being "the appearance of impropriety." Plus, it sure
would be nice to have people tell the truth, instead of weaseling out
nonsensical words to try to appease the masses. Tell it like it is. Very few
people give a rat's ass about localism, so we'll allow radio and TV stations to
become remotely piloted relay stations. That has been the European model for a
very long time, after all. Seems to work fine.
Hey, when Houston was getting flooded, I could follow the news just fine,
minute by minute, over the Internet. Chances are, if anything of note happens
in these remote communities, one or more of the stations operating on autopilot
could be covering that local news anyway.
Bert
------------------------------------------------
http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/fcc-eliminates-main-studio-rule/282128
FCC Eliminates Main Studio Rule
Repeal of 80-year-old rule seeks to reduce regulatory burdens and cost for
broadcasters
October 24, 2017
By Michael Balderston
WASHINGTON-A move that has been much debated in recent months has been made
official, as a 3-2 vote by the FCC has eliminated the broadcast main studio
rule.
The main studio rule had been in place for nearly 80 years and required AM, FM
and TV stations to have a main studio located or near its local community. At
the time, the rule was meant to facilitate input from community members and the
station's participation in community activities.
The FCC, in its official announcement, said that it recognizes that the public
can now access information via broadcasters' online public file and that
stations and community members can interact directly through alternative means
such as email, social media and the telephone, making the main studio rule
"outdated and unnecessarily burdensome."
"Given these facts, continuing to require a main studio would detract from,
rather than promote, a broadcaster's ability and incentive to keep people
informed and serve the public interest," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in his
official statement.
The commission predicts that the elimination of the main studio rule should
produce cost-saving benefits for broadcasters that can be used for things like
programming, equipment upgrades, newsgathering and other services. The
commission also sees this as a way to help prevent stations in small towns from
going dark and help launch new stations in rural areas.
Pai supported these claims in his statement when he referenced a commenter
after FM Auction 94 said the cost for building stations in South Dakota and
Montana were too great with the main studio rule.
One requirement from the main studio rule that remains is that stations will
still need to maintain a local or toll-free telephone number to provide ready
access for consumers to their local stations.
Pai, along with Commissioner O'Rielly and Commissioner Carr (the FCC's
Republicans) approved the elimination. Commissioner Clyburn and Commissioner
Rosenworcel (Democrats) dissented.
Outside of the FCC, the NAB has released a statement supporting the FCC's
elimination of the main studio rule, contributed to Dennis Wharton, NAB
executive vice president of communications:
"NAB supports elimination of the main studio rule, which has outlived its
usefulness in an era of mobile news gathering and multiple content delivery
platforms. We're confident that cost savings realized from ending the main
studio rule will be reinvested by broadcasters in better programming and
modernized equipment to better serve our local communities. We applaud the FCC
for continuing to remove unnecessary and outdated broadcast regulations."
Others were not as pleased with the decision. Free Press, a nonpartisan
organization, who believes that this decision provides clear benefits to the
Sinclair Broadcast Group, who is currently seeking to approve a merger between
it and Tribune Media, which would see it control more than 233 local TV
stations reaching 72 percent of the U.S. population.
"With today's vote Chairman Pai has given another massive handout to his
friends and political allies at Sinclair," said Dana Floberg, Free Press policy
analyst. "By eliminating this rule, the commission has blasted open a path for
conglomerates like Sinclair to move even more resources-including broadcast
facilities and staff-away from underserved communities. The main studio rule
was a vital way to preserve broadcast media's local roots and to hold local
stations accountable when they fail to serve the people they're licensed to
cover."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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