It took a fat stack of cash to keep Gov. Walker in office; his 2012 recall election was the most expensive in Wisconsin history. Walker had friends in amplified places, though, which helped quite a bit. In fact, according to Media Action Center, during the recall WTMJ-AM??used its local talk radio shows to exclusively promote Republican Governor Scott Walker and his supporters, while refusing time to his Democratic opponent and his supporters.? Adding insult to injury, the station has just made the legal claim that talk radio is the same as ?bonafide?news.?
From a press release dated Friday, May 24, 2013:
Talk radio is not news ? Charlie Sykes is not Walter Cronkite ? argues a media watchdog after a talk radio station argued recently to the Federal Communications Commission that its local political talk radio shows are the same as ?bonafide news.?
Attorneys for Journal Communications? WTMJ-AM radio made that legal argument to the FCC in answer to a petition to deny the station?s broadcast license for violations of the FCC?s quasi-equal opportunity rule, or ?Zapple Doctrine,? said Sue Wilson of Media Action Center.
Media Action Center filed a petition late in 2012 with the FCC to deny the license because, during the Scott Walker recall campaign, WTMJ?s?Jeff Wagner?and?Charlie Sykes?shows?were proven to have given as much as a half a million dollars in free airtime to supporters of Republican Governor Scott Walker. The station specifically denied comparable time to supporters of his Democratic opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
The FCC?s quasi-equal opportunities rule (Zapple Doctrine) states that broadcasters must give supporters of both major party candidates comparable airtime.?? Only ?bonafide news? programs are exempt so they can cover candidates? events in real time.
Media Action Center is not?giving up without a fight:
?Bonafide news programs are specifically not allowed to politic for candidates,? says Media Action Center Director Sue Wilson.? ?Now is our one chance to make a stand for journalism. The FCC has a duty to the public to draw a clear line between news and opinion.
?If the FCC does not draw a clear line, radio talkers from Charlie Sykes to Rush Limbaugh will be equated with newsmen like Walter Cronkite, and listeners will lose any hope of ferreting out fact from fiction,? Wilson added.
Those who agree that talk radio is not ?bonafide news? and do not want to see Charlie Sykes and Rush Limbaugh equated with Walker Cronkite are encouraged to check out the petition now circulating,?Tell the FCC: Talk Radio is NOT Bonafide News!? (click here).
Help put the ?Public? back into Broadcasters? ?Public Interest Obligations.?
Photo: Media Action Center
Source: http://www.waukeshawonk.com/2013/05/25/media-action-center-talk-radio-is-not-bonafide-news/
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