In case there was any doubt that media conglomerates are thumbing their noses at the public interest, the television network CW recently rolled out a series of bubbly ads trumpeting the fact that they offer no news to local viewers.
| CW's Nutty Professor |
In another ad, rapper Biz Markie sings that CW "got what I need... drama, action and laughs, no news ain't that a blast."
What the CW's corporate owners at CBS and Time Warner forgot is that their stations were granted license to the public airwaves in exchange for broadcasting that serves the "public interest, convenience and necessity."
Usually that means news and information that helps viewers participate in civic events and engage with other important developments in their community.
| 'No news. Ain't that a blast' |
The CW continues to broadcast no news in certain markets without the slightest blink from the bureaucrats who are duty sworn to protect our airwaves from such abuse.
It's ironic that these ads ran at the same time the FCC held a hearing in the other Washington, during which residents of Seattle sent a resounding message to FCC Chair Kevin Martin: our democracy can't survive on a steady diet of junk media.
Apparently, his friends at the CW missed that headline.
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apartment, I don't think I'll have a television
in it. Most of the programming appears to be
crap, whether it's just political agit-prop
or whatever, I'm listening to the CNN right
now while I type this, and it's just more
hype on top of more hype about the election
and how far in debt they're going to put us
next year. Why watch anymore, why listen to
any more of it, honestly? Do they really give
a damn what the public thinks anymore, or is
it just a way to try and tell people what
to think? Forget it.
http://action.freepress.net/campaign/fcc_oversight/