The Daily Stern: Briefs
: The big Stern post is above. Here are some other updates as the day goes on:
: IT’S ABOUT TALK RADIO: Conservatives are worried that once one talk-radio host is censored, all can be censored. The American Spectator properly frets:
Legislation like this sets a precedent. If stations can be shut down for the garbage spewed by Stern, what happens when President Hillary advocates, and gets passed a liberal Congress, legislation which allows complaints to be filed for hate speech. Hate speech could well be defined as exactly what Rush, Sean Hannity, Mike Reagan and others put out over the airwaves.
Talk radio is becoming stronger, not weaker….
News Talk formats saved AM. AM stations were on the brink of extinction until talk radio came along. It came along because the so-called “fairness doctrine” was repealed during the Reagan Administration. Media was also deregulated. That came with a price. The price was Howard Stern and his filthy local counterparts.
The idea was that people could be their masters. If they didn’t think a station was appropriate they would tune elsewhere. The market would rule.
Until you go to tell the market to go to hell; Congress and the FCC know better than we, the people.
Well go to George Bush and Michael Powell and all the guys on your side of the aisle in Congress about this. Tell them to think twice before the go shooting holes through the Constitution. It’s your Constitition, too. And as for the Democrats… Well, Al Franken, let’s see you make your first day on the air a rallying cry for free speech and talk radio! [Thanks,TVsHenry]
: MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH: Howard plans to put up on the Internet the complete list of what the show’s button-hitter, Dead Air Dave, has cut out of the show. “I must have crapped in my pants,” is one of the indecencies from which we’ve been saved. But now you’ve been corrupted.
: HYPOCRISY: The New York Post is picking up on the corner into which Clear Channel has painted itself by pointing out all the no-no’s that occur on its concert stages. News bulletin: Chris Rock says bad words! Brittany Spears girates her hips! Whatcha gonna do about it, CC? [Thanks, Beat Royalty]
: NEXT: They said this morning that the Senate gets back to work from vacation at the end of the month. That’s when they will take up their indecent indecency bill and reconcile it with the House’s and send it to Bush. That is when Howard says he will go.
: SHOCK THE VOTE: The Boston Globe asks whether Stern could move the election.
: ON SECOND THOUGHT: In the true spirit of a Stern fan, I’ll amend my list of suggested bra-busting protesters (above). How about, instead: Norah O’Donnell, Soledad O’Brien, and, oh, Kelly O’Donnell. Yeah, that’s better.
: LIKE THE MAN SAID, YOU CAN’T PICK YOUR POSTER CHILDREN FOR THE FIRST AMENDMENT: Instead of any of the nominees above, we get Courtney Love (on a detour on her way to the slammer) exposing herself on Letterman.
: PREVIOUS DAILY STERN POSTS: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here.
