USCCB: broadcasters should disclose religious programming
October 28, 2011
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has called upon the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to require broadcasters to disclose the amount of their religious programming.
“In proceeding after proceeding, USCCB has informed the Commission of the increasing difficulty and financial burden it and Catholic dioceses face in obtaining airtime on local broadcast stations for full length programs and even public service announcements,” said Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala of Los Angeles, chairman of the USCCB communications committee. “USCCB has expended resources to gather and organize that information, but the Commission frequently has dismissed this information as ‘merely anecdotal.”
The FCC has proposed requiring broadcasters to offer online disclosure of their programming--a decision that the USCCB supported.
“This is a long overdue,” said Bishop Zavala. “An online disclosure will supply the public and the Commission with a useable database of information about actual programs aired by broadcasters, and with the necessary facts for meaningful public participation in license renewals and Commission proceedings.”
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Further information:
- Religious Programming Should Be Part Of Public Accountability By Broadcasters, USCCB Chair States (USCCB)
- FCC Proposes Moving TV Station Public Inspection Files Online (Broadcasting & Cable)
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Posted by: extremeCatholic -
Oct. 29, 2011 6:42 PM ET USA
Why should the regulatory burden be increased on thousands of FCC licensees? Demanding content-based reporting could be a first step to mandating content-based programming or limiting it. If the USCCB thinks this information is worth collecting, let them collect it themselves.
