Local Broadcasting in Extremis

A piece of legislation recently introduced by Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA 14th) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI 2nd) that they call the "Broadcast Licensing in the Public Interest Act" (HR 4882), might deserve a better appellation as the "Eradication of Broadcasting Act." At the heart of HR 4882 is a desire that broadcasters carry more of the content Representatives Eshoo and Baldwin favor: local public affairs programming and political coverage. In their view, the public interest is served by such programming and not by other fare that is more popular with viewers. The bill would also make broadcast license renewals conditioned on a showing of, among other things, a dedication to local news gathering [and] local production of programming. In actuality HR 4882 threatens to choke off the resources available for local broadcast service in medium and larger markets. By requiring broadcasters to ignore market demands and instead carry programming to meet political demands, HR 4882 would enervate local broadcasters and undermine the very thing it purports to promote - local broadcast service. The goal of re-energizing and revitalizing local commercial broadcast service, if it ever is to be realized, will come only when Congress removes the shackles that bind broadcasters' ability to respond to new competitive pressures.