Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
Chapter 1: The State of the 5th Estate
The Radio Station
Chapter 1 Highlights
•With nearly 15,000 radio stations in the United States, radio is the
most available source of entertainment, companionship, and
information.
•The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was established in 1967.
Three years later, National Public Radio began providing funding
and programming to member stations. More than 800 schools and
•Consolidation, downsizing, and mergers have been
prompted by the FCC’s relaxation of the duopoly and
ownership rules.
•Seventy percent of radio’s revenues come from local
spot sales.
•Satellite radio services are providing listeners with options besides traditional terrestrial
signal reception.
•Radio webstreams, once beset by copyright issues, have become a central part of station
operations; station websites promote programming and permit listener interaction. Websites
also provide secondary revenue opportunities.
•In 1949, the FCC formulated the Fairness Doctrine, which obligated
broadcasters to present opposing points of view. In 1987 the FCC declared the
doctrine unconstitutional and eliminated it.
•The Republicans wrote a new telecommunications bill designed to lift
significant sanctions from broadcasters. The Telecommunications Act of 1996
