Christian radio stations oppose FCC localism rule

The Federal Communications Commission has made proposals designed to increase the local orientation of radio stations, and a Christian media group has developed a campaign to defeat them, Matthew Lasar reports for Ars Technica. Save Christian Radio issued a statement warning that "the proposals could force Christian radio programmers to either compromise their messages by including input from those who don't share the same values, or to run the risk or costly, long and potentially ruinous government inquiries."

One proposed rule would require a human presence at each station during all operating hours, even if programming is delivered by software and/or satellite, partly to make stations "capable of relying critical life-saving information to the public" in local emergencies, such as a 2002 train derailment in Minot, N.D., that sent a toxic cloud over the city while local officials struggled to get the word out via automated stations. SCR argues the required physical presence would increase costs.

Other new rules would require stations to provide some locally-oriented programing, keep better public records of public-affairs programming and have advisory boards that include "representatives of underserved community segments." That is "the proposal SCA likes the least," Lasar writes. SCR says stations would be "forced to take programming advice from people whose values are at odds with the Gospel. A well organized group of atheists, abortionists or secular humanists could demand representation -- and have standing to cause trouble at the FCC if they were turned away" from participating. SCR also opposes the recordkeeping rule, saying it would have to make the records available even to "those who do not share Gospel values."

Lasar writes that the localism proposals are debatable, "but whether Save Christian Radio intended it or not, their statement gives the impression of a movement more paranoid about than concerned for the community to which it broadcasts -- intent on protecting a satellite-based, hyper-automated product that talks 24/7, but never has to listen to most of the souls in its local signal area."

The FCC issued the Report on Broadcasting and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Dec. 18 after gathering more than 83,000 written comments and testimony from 500 panelists at six field hearings on localism, which became a concern after widespread corporate consolidation of radio stations.