2008 Woodie Awards
Restricting the airwaves once again
By: Cristian Vasquez
Issue date: 4/22/04 Section: Opinion
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The people who don't like shock radio jock Howard Stern don't have to listen to his show.
The people who consider his show to be obscene that's fine; but they don't have to try and leave him without a job because their views on indecency are different from his. On April 9, Clear Channel decided to suspend Howard Stern's show from syndication in six different radio stations across America, due to pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to keep the airwaves clear from "obscenities."
Yes, once again the government is pushing Americans around, putting fear into them through fines and censoring the media to keep people from speaking their minds.
The FCC is implementing a $495,000 fine and is even looking into revoking broadcasting licenses to any radio station considered to be in violation of decency rules. All of a sudden the FCC is on everyone's back trying to define decency.
Prior to the fanatically religious Bush administration, the FCC defined its own rules and policies with moderate government interference.
However, remember that Michael Powell, son of Colin Powell, is one of the FCC's top executives. Is it internal favors or just a coincidence?
You make the choice, but remember that since George W. Bush and his administration walked into Washington, this nation has gone into a conservative mind-set that has banned partial birth abortions, considered amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriages and has begun to censor parts of the media.
If this is the land of the free and the home of the brave‚ then what happened to freedom of choice?
If I want to listen to a foul-mouth, indecent, obnoxious radio jock, I should be able to do so without having Uncle Sam imposing fines.
Why are the brave outspoken members of the media being persecuted for not accepting what our nation's leaders deem right?
The reason is the nation's leaders are a bunch of freaks who want to impose their Biblical teachings on every American.
The people who consider his show to be obscene that's fine; but they don't have to try and leave him without a job because their views on indecency are different from his. On April 9, Clear Channel decided to suspend Howard Stern's show from syndication in six different radio stations across America, due to pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to keep the airwaves clear from "obscenities."
Yes, once again the government is pushing Americans around, putting fear into them through fines and censoring the media to keep people from speaking their minds.
The FCC is implementing a $495,000 fine and is even looking into revoking broadcasting licenses to any radio station considered to be in violation of decency rules. All of a sudden the FCC is on everyone's back trying to define decency.
Prior to the fanatically religious Bush administration, the FCC defined its own rules and policies with moderate government interference.
However, remember that Michael Powell, son of Colin Powell, is one of the FCC's top executives. Is it internal favors or just a coincidence?
You make the choice, but remember that since George W. Bush and his administration walked into Washington, this nation has gone into a conservative mind-set that has banned partial birth abortions, considered amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriages and has begun to censor parts of the media.
If this is the land of the free and the home of the brave‚ then what happened to freedom of choice?
If I want to listen to a foul-mouth, indecent, obnoxious radio jock, I should be able to do so without having Uncle Sam imposing fines.
Why are the brave outspoken members of the media being persecuted for not accepting what our nation's leaders deem right?
The reason is the nation's leaders are a bunch of freaks who want to impose their Biblical teachings on every American.