Sean Hannity, Laura Schlessinger, Randy Michaels,Governor Siegelman,Rove,CBS,Clear Channel Communications,FCC
lc
Siegelman,Rove,CBS,Clear Channel Communications,FCC
"CEO, Randy Michaels, a controversial figure who once headed the radio
division at Clear Channel Communications, the nation’s largest radio
conglomerate, also has a long history of ties to conservative figures.
Michaels is credited with discovering the popular conservative talk
show host Sean Hannity in the early 1990s. He also signed enormous
radio deals with Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura Schlessinger, two
powerhouses on the conservative talk-radio circuit."
Tipped Scales: Finding Justice in the Siegelman Case
http://pacificfreepress.com/content/view/2450/81/
Written by Scott Horton
Wednesday, 02 April 2008
Siegelman and the Fairness Doctrine
by Scott Horton
When CBS News’s 60 Minutes put out its report “The Prosecution of
Governor Siegelman” (for which I was repeatedly interviewed) one sole
affiliate, the Northern Alabama station WHNT, suffered mysterious
technical problems that blocked 12 minutes—virtually the whole
Siegelman story, but nothing else in the program—on its initial
airing. The Washington Independent weighs in today with a very solid
exploration of the issue:
[] "WHNT first claimed the blackout was the result of a faulty
feed originating with CBS in New York. A more thorough investigation,
station officials later said, revealed that the trouble was a local
equipment failure preventing WHNT from receiving the CBS signal–a
situation remedied 12 minutes into the Siegelman segment. In response
to local complaints, WHNT re-ran the segment four hours after it was
initially scheduled, and again the following evening. But the re-runs
did little to cool the suspicions of Democrats. FCC Commissioner
Michael Copps, a Democrat, pushed hard for an official inquiry, which
was initiated nine days following the blackout." []
Legal experts and media watchdogs say that blackouts of such length
are extremely rare, particularly during peak viewing hours.
“Blackouts, of some duration, probably happen all the time,” said
Aaron Craig, communications director of Free Press, a non-partisan
media reform group.
[] “Now, do they happen during prime-time, when the story is
focused on potential corruption in the same state? At best, it’s an
unfortunate coincidence.” []
Botein agreed, saying that the sophistication of today’s broadcast
equipment — combined with the commercial appeal of the program in
question — makes such a coincidence highly unlikely.
[] “A show like ‘60 Minutes’ gets incredible ratings,” Botein said.
“A 12-minute blackout? — It’d never happen. They’d lose half their
audience. . .” []
While WHNT is owned by Oak Hill Capital, a Texas-based private equity
firm with a long history of support for Democratic candidates and
causes, the day-to-day operations are run by a newly created Oak Hill
venture called Local TV LLC. Based in Kentucky, Local TV is headed by
Robert Lawrence, a long-time GOP supporter whose many political
contributions include $2,000 to the Bush campaign in 2004, and $7,000
to the Republican National Committee in 2000.
Local TV’s previous CEO, Randy Michaels, a controversial figure who
once headed the radio division at Clear Channel Communications, the
nation’s largest radio conglomerate, also has a long history of ties
to conservative figures. Michaels is credited with discovering the
popular conservative talk show host Sean Hannity in the early 1990s.
He also signed enormous radio deals with Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura
Schlessinger, two powerhouses on the conservative talk-radio circuit.
But the major point of the Washington Independent piece goes to the
Fairness Doctrine. Previously, a “blackout” resulting from an
editorial decision rather than genuine technical problems could easily
cause a station to lose its license. No longer.
[] “In this case, they’re certainly not going to pull their license
over it,” said Clay Calvert, communications professor at Pennsylvania
State University and co-author of Mass Media Law, the nation’s top-
selling undergraduate communications law textbook. “At most, it might
merit a warning.” Considering the partisan make-up of the FCC, it
might not even merit that. The commission’s “notice of inquiry” falls
short of an investigation. And if Martin, the panel’s Republican
chairman, accepts the station’s claim that the trouble was strictly
technical, then the process could end there. []
60 Minutes has been busy at work on the second installment of its
series on Siegelman, which is likely to air this Sunday. It will be
interesting to see if there is a recurrence of “technical problems.”
[] [] [] []
Siegelman: All Roads Lead To Rove
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.royalty/msg/0d96773fc2b2f166
Christy Hardin Smith Monday April 7, 2008
New Evidence In Siegelman Case Points To Republican Cabal
http://www.alternet.org/democracy/79645/
March 13, 2008.
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.royalty/msg/07a993c5637d7853
Will Rove Keep Agreement To Testify Before Congress About Siegelman
Prosecution?
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/17/rove-testify-siegelman-2/