Bob_Grip's Blog

With the Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, it may be time for Rush Limbaugh to start talking with Sirius/XM radio.  The Fairness Doctrine may be making a comeback.

The Fairness Doctrine (not to be confused with Equal Time, which applies only to making commercial time available to candidates) required radio and TV stations to present balanced information on controversial issues.  It was repealed in 1985 when the Federal Communications Commission chairman Mark Fowler announced that the Fairness Doctrine no longer served the public interest and in fact, was a violation of the First Amendment (Freedom of Speech).

While the President-Elect's office says he does not support re-imposition of the Fairness Doctrine, that hasn't stopped some members of Congress, like New York Senator Chuck Schumer, from bringing up the idea.  While being interviewed by Fox News, he said, "I think we should all be fair and balanced, don’t you?"

Should the Fairness Doctrine be brought back to life, stations would be required to balance the comments of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage with those offering a different viewpoint.  When it comes to AM radio, there aren't enough hours in the day to do that.

That might force folks like Rush to follow the lead of Howard Stern, and move from over-the-air broadcasting to subscription (and so far, unregulated media) like satellite radio.