Sen. Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina attached the amendment, called the Broadcaster Freedom Act, to a bill giving the District of Columbia a voting representative in the House. It passed by a wide margin of 87-to-11.
However, it's not clear if the amendment will survive as Congress debates the voting rights bill.
Sen. Dick(the Turbin)Durbin (D)of Illinois also won approval for an alternate amendment ordering the Federal Communications Commission to encourage radio ownership "diversity." It passed by a vote of 57 to 41.
DeMint's Office called Durbin's amendment a back door imposition of the "Fairness Doctrine" by breaking up Radio ownership.
The "Fairness Doctrine" was introduced into law in 1949 and basically stated that Radio and TV stations must present opposing points of political view. In 1987 President Reagan repealed the "Fairness Doctrine". And rightfully so.
There is no need for the "Fairness Doctrine", if the Liberals want to present their views, which they have done, they can do so, if they can find a radio network to carry them, such as Air America.
The problem for Liberal Talk Radio shows is that they historically do not attract a large audience and therefore do not generate much advertising revenue, which is how the stations make money.
The "Fairness Doctrine" would force radio stations and networks to present opposing views to the successful conservative talk shows, thus forcing them to lose money and maybe even consider not presenting the conservative point of view.
It has been reported that President Obama has no interest in reinstating the "Fairness Doctrine". But we all know that there are those Democrats in Congress in both the Houses and the Senate(Pelosi,Reid) who want to see the demise of conservative hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and many others.
DeMint said: "We need to make it a law that the FCC or this Congress cannot implement any aspect of the Fairness Doctrine."
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