The Daily Stern
: HOW MUCH, HOW BIG: UPDATE: The Center for Public Integrity has up a new accounting of FCC fines since 1990.
The FCC has levied more fines this year than in all the years since 1990 combined.
Total since 1990: $4.5 million.
Total against Stern: $2.5 million.
There’s evidence that he’s a target. Many copycats do more to push the line but the’s the big guy.
: BAD FOR BUSINESS: Reuters says FCC censorship could be bad for the radio business:
The U.S. radio industry’s long-awaited recovery remains on track for 2004, but the specter of rising fines for on-air indecency could threaten the already fragile rebound.
If programs get boring and listeners turn off, advertisers might pull the plug on an industry hoping for 6 percent ad sales growth this year compared with a meager 1 percent in 2003, industry analysts said.
“Obviously, programming is on the air because it’s popular and profitable, and so far we’ve seen (operators) stand by talent and programming,” said Gordon Hodge, financial analyst with Thomas Weisel Partners.
“If regulation arose that stifled popular programming, then there would be economic repercussions. Long term, it could be problematic,” Hodge said.
: See Tom at Media Drop’s reaction to this report.
: MORE DOWN: Clear Channel gets rid of more DJs for nasty bits. AJC.com reports. These guys pulled a no-no by accidentally leaving a mic open as they were recording porn stars who were to be bleeped later; they went out on the air unbleeped. Stern has been daring Clear Channel to do something, for what they did was worse than anything Stern did but they were Clear Channel boys. Now the FCC has also dared them.
: EARLIER
: How does the Today show cover the Howard Stern show? By interviewing G. Gordon Liddy. Huh? Yeah, a Nixon henchman is on the cutting cultural edge. (And how did they cover Condi Rice’s testimony? By interviewing the hitman from the Berkeley of Manhattan, Bob Kerrey.)
: My morning chortle: Wholesome Jay Leno went out of his way to steal away Stuttering John from the Howard Stern Show. Now he has the guy who’s at the center of a $495k fine regarding his rear-end sex life.
: One of the morning guys on Air America says of Stern, “I’m starting to think maybe he’s right… He’s being pushed off the air because of the Christian right.”
: Neal Boortz designs a new logo for the FCC — now dubbed the Federal Censorship Commission:
Clear Channel isn’t the only radio group that’s frightened … so are civil libertarians and other radio station owners.
When are you going to start to become alarmed? This is government censorship. Don’t give me this nonsense about sexual content. Howard Stern isn’t saying anything that your children don’t hear behind the gym on any given day. All radios have at least two knobs .. and a simple twist of either one will quiet anything you find offensive. This witch hunt has gone on long enough. It’s time for Americans to worry about where the FCC, and it’s government bosses, will head next.
: Ernie Miller sends us a photomosaic of John Ashcroft made up of little porn people.
Can we commission one of Michael Powell made up of butts?
