Obama’s FCC diversity engineers strike again
The diversity-mongers on Barack Obama’s FCC bean-counting panel don’t like how a private radio ratings system is working out for their pet stations.
So they’re putting pressure on the government to make Arbitron change its measurement tools to ensure politically correct results.
Brian Maloney at The Radio Equalizer reports.
Who needs the Fairness Doctrine? The race-based enforcers on the FCC are in the house.
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Trackbacks
- And so it begins… FCC crackdown on ‘racist radio’ Welcome to Venezuela | Fire Andrea Mitchell!
- Cnation’s Picks for 5/19/2009 : Conservative Nation
- Hooray! Now Minorities Can Finally Be Equal « Vets On The Watch
- Tuesday, May 19, 2009: Daily Handpickied Headlines :: Daily Uprising :: Join the Conservative Counter-Revolution!
- Who needs the Fairness Doctrine? « Dianej’s Weblog
- Obamas FCC diversity engineers strike again - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!
- They Come At You Sideways « Justbkuz
- Obama’s “Cone of Silence” for Conservative Radio & Internet: Media Diversity Not for Diversity of Ideas, but for Diversity of Skin Color « Frugal Café Blog Zone
- Big Hollywood » Blog Archive » The Left Has Spoken: Today, We Are All Extremists
- Mark Lloyd, FCC Diversity Czar, and Cass Sustein, Regulatory Czar: Progressive Radical Socialist Silencing of Free Speech On Internet Blogs and Talk Radio « Pronk Palisades
- MRC’s Motley, FNC’s Glenn Beck Inform Viewers About Policy Aims of FCC’s Diversity Czar | linkthe.com
- Politico Gets It Way Wrong On Conservatives’ Complaints About FCC Diversity Czar Lloyd | linkthe.com
- New Media, Same Fake ‘Fairness’ Tactics from Left | linkthe.com
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Categories: Fairness Doctrine, Race Hustlers, Race relations
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Every day I think they can’t surprise me any more… they’ve done all they could and I expect nothing but the worst… and yet I read this and my jaw just drops. It’s astounding that they can rig the game any old way they want and the public just goes shopping or turns on American Idol.
Like a bunch of kids… LA LA LA with their fingers in their ears. What will it take to wake up America?
IF this BS is allowed to affect Arbitron, the radio advertising market will respond by simply discounting what it is willing to pay “minority” broadcasters.
This would be unfortunate, since some minority programming is very likely earning high ratings…and high advertising revenues.
The effect will be like that noted by economists in market responses to affirmative action. When a job candidate of the racial or gender group favored for admission to a university by discrimination is evaluated, the market response is to discount their credentials. This may be unfair to the qualified individual applicant (and damaging to employers), but the information normally transmitted via a college degree is skewed by discrimination, and the market knows it.
The only place this effect does not occur (as a generalization) is in non-market-based employment (civil service), and large businesses that are hiring discriminated FOR groups for their PR value.
Bottom line…
this will be another example of BIG BRO screwing with the market, to the detriment of everyone concerned.
I really doubt advertisers will accept a system that over-charges based on inflated (fraudulent) audience numbers. All it will accomplish is to make it even more difficult for minority-oriented broadcasters to sell ad time.
And Joy, keep in mind that the GOP is also attacking conservative radio. This is another example of government (not only Democrats) at war with its citizens. Why is it so difficult for so many conservatives to remember that?
Who should the gospel stations be consolidated with?
Because of what I said in #2, I expect that some of the most effective opponents of this intrusion into the market are going to be minority stations that know they earn their ratings, and prize the data that give them the ability to charge higher competitive rates, based on their market penetration.
I am a Conservative and I’ve long ago given up hope on the GOP. My favorite analogy for them is that they would be ideally suited to play the Scottish “Nobles” in the movie “Braveheart”. They are unprincipled spineless sellouts that only care about furthering their political ambitions – our Country, and talk radio, be damned if it gets in their way.
Did anybody here actually read the whole article? When the author finally got around to stating the controversial methodology, the minority broadcasters had a point. Some of their questions about the methodology had merit. (See the parts about minority cell phone- only households, sample sizes, and the proposition that minorities dont like to be seen with monitoring devices.) Also, it is in Arbitron’s best interest to have acccurate data. If the inquiry shows that the Electronic People Meters are accurate or not, it should be to everyone’s benefit. Where’s the beef?
PP – What did I say that makes you think I don’t remember that?
Didn’t you read the part about the current system eliminating cheating i.e. backfill bias-making certain FM DJs look like they had better listenership than the actually do?
Joy,
For some reason, there seems to be a tendency, I’ve noticed, for people to assume that Conservatives are equated to Republicans. I think all U.S. citizens are prone to make that assumption because of our conditioning in the education system and the media. It’s really weird to think we’ve all been “brainwashed” to a degree. I “cling” to the verse “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 NIV
They are so afraid of the truth getting out via Rush, Glenn & Sean, they’re willing to do anything to protect themselves.
It most certainly IS in Arbitron’s best interest to be accurate and Arbitron I trust will most certainly try to be accurate–I do NOT think it is in the best interest of the FCC, Obama’s Administration or the Race Hustler Guild for Arbitron to be accurate. The Obama Administration, the FCC and the Race Hustler Guild want race based results-ALL minority audiences belong to minority radio stations regardless.
Have a Spanish surname? You belong to Azteca radio or Telemundo-no you can not listen to Rush or Smooth Jazz KYOT. Black? You WILL be counted as hip hop regardless.
This endless racial bean counting forces English speaking youths of Hispanic origin into ESL classes, Blacks, American Indians into remedial classes they do not need and often keeps Asians and Jews from advanced placement they have earned.
So if it does not work here try it there.This is censorship and control, pure and simple. The grain harvest failed again? Change the numbers–nothing new here.
My my, the libby race card is looking a bit flimsy these days ain’t it?
More than half the country votes for a black guy for president so obviously we need the government to dictate affirmitive action for radio ratings.
Well then, there’s a slam dunk reason for gubmint intervention if there ever was one! (Us old white republican males are climbing over each other trying get our hands on them. I’ve got ten of them so far but it’s still not enough!)
And, from my observation, that is risible.
Kids I see can’t carry enough by way of cell phones, pagers, I-Pods, etc.
In a related note, the Public Broadcasting System is considering purging stations that broadcast religious programming. Among them are Brigham Young University’s KBYU-TV and Howard University’s WHUT. Even though KBYU-TV has been a PBS station since the 1970s, there’s a move to strictly enforce an anti-religious proposal when PBS votes on a committee report this summer. Howard University broadcasts “Mass for Shut-ins” in cooperation with the Archdiocese of Washington. KBYU-TV broadcasts a considerable amount of religious programming (its a church-owned university) in addition to “Sesame Street,” “MacNeil Lehrer,” “This Old House,” etc. I suppose “This Week in Atheism” would be fine, though, since it wouldn’t be religious. Nothing about a prohibition on anti-religious programming. In fact, that’s more in line with the PBS mission.
No there is irony dripping from that nonsense.
Nonpartisan my bald pink asp.
Bill Moyers.
The last time PBS called to hit me up for some money, the caller got an earful from me. Interestingly, he agreed with everything I said! It was his job to fundraise for the network, but he didn’t agree with their programming. I suggested he look for other work where he might feel more fulfilled.
This is a witch hunt. I have worked in the media industry for 17 years. First all rtgs systems Arbitron and Nielsen are estimates what we call (guesstimations) if a National sample in radio it is TL (Total Listeners) in TV imp000 (Impressions) which are used to mathimatically figure out Rtg points.
They also, used minority businesses as their complaining base not the majority of the buying agencies or broadcasters. PPM is just like the new Live data Nielsen uses for TV to get a more accurate count of who is viewing minute by minute rtgs and DVR counts. Both Nielsen and arbitron are working out bugs to fix this relativley new technology.
Bottom line NO ONE really buys these station because there are not enough rtgs to justify advertiser to buy the stations. This committe is trying to force yet another private industry to do it’s biding which will eventually hurt the broadcasters as well as the advertisers.
Everything the liberal do hurts private industry. Everything!! They want to eliminate it altogether. And then what? Who will fund their socialism? That is something I just can’t figure out! Where will they get their funding? Have any of these morons checked into how socialism in other countries is working? It’s NOT! Brainless and completely corrupt…every one of them. I pray every day that this will come back to bite them…and soon!
Here is the obvious solution:
1) have a chip inside of each radio that determines which radio stations are listened to and at what times.
2) each radio has a transmitter to send that information to the FCC.
3) if the FCC decides you are not listening to Al Franken enough each week, they will send a signal to your radio that will over-ride the power button, volume control and tuner.
4) Now the FCC can ensure you are listening to the proper ratios of a diversified mix of radio programs.
5) Utopia will follow.
Maybe I should’ve kept my comment to myself – why give them any ideas that they may not have thought of themselves….
d-oh!!
without control of the media, one cannot control the agenda. Goerbells and hugo and castro and mao have all understood this. take away the voice of dissent, take away the means of dissent, take away the dissenters. problem solved, a utopian workers paradise with a benevolent universally loved president for life.
They could hide them in that vacuous space between their crotch and the seat of their pants.
I used to work for a company that had a contract with Arbitron to recruit people to participate in radio ratings with the diaries. It was cold-calling. Our interviewers would call people at home asking them to participate and receive the diaries. Many people became irate thinking we were telemarketers, when we weren’t. People resented being so bothered. If people are complaining Arbitron isn’t fair, perhaps they shouldn’t have cursed out our interviewers asking them to participate in the ratings system. Perhaps the radio shows they listen to wouldn’t have such low ratings because they refused to tell Arbitron they listened to their radio shows.
Yes I did love, and I also worked in the radio industry for a long time, although its been quite ahwile since I did.
That the PPMs should eliminate that kind of alledged cheating is probably true, but my point was that the committe is simply calling for clarity in the methodoligy. And they had some vaild points, not that the Arbitron diaries didn’t have problems too.
Sorry, hit “post” before I spell-checked.
I agree with many of the points made here that the FCC seems out to get conservative radio, but this article stretches things a bit too far. The comitteee isn’t proposing any policy changes. They are only asking for more information, and their basis for asking looks reasonable.
BTW – walk a mile in minority shoes, will ya? I am guessing, but I think maybe minorities would not want to carry around electronic devices because it may look like some kind of law enforcement penalty or trap. Sometimes the nonsense in this blog gets to be too much.
Oh yeah? What about the minority I saw go into the rest stop’s bathroom stall carrying a blaring boom box, an electronic device, on his shoulder? Did he care what he “looked like” then? …and how come whites are always challenged to walk in minorities’ shoes? Why don’t they trying walking in whites’ shoes for a change? Whites don’t have a monopoly on success, we simply tend to abide by the principles leading to prosperity. Nothing is stopping them from doing the same thing. Ask the minorities who have achieved success. Ask Chris Gardner. He’ll tell you the same thing. The color of success is not white, it is green. Even though I am white, the odds were really against me, too. I came from a family characterized by extreme dysfunction. I let Christ into my heart and made it out of that legacy of victim stance, ignorance, pettiness, and immaturity. Why do people go through their entire lives allowing others to define the parameters of how they should live? As the link I included mentions, it does no favors to “minorities” to coddle and pity them. They should be challenged to rise above others’ expectations, labels, and attitudes towards them. They should win trust and a good reputation through hard work, achievement, and highly ethical behavior. They should not use the courts and government to exact the benefits of such trust without having earned it.
happy2behere –
WHY is the FCC involved AT ALL??? If there is some sort of fraud going on in regard to advertising then HOW is that the territory of the FCC? It is not, it the AG’s territory. These radio stations are BUSINESSES and just because they happen to be in the business of broadcasting does NOT give the FCC any sway over how these businesses conduct themselves OUTSIDE of the act of and technical constraints of broadcasting itself.
If they don’t pay their taxes, does the FCC come after them or the IRS? If they don’t pay their water bill does the the FCC shut it off or does the DPW?
Liberal incrementalism is what is going on here; an FCC over-stepping its bounds to effect a POLITICAL agenda. (Similar to the EPA political agenda in calling CO2 a pollutant to abate nonexistent global warming…)
If there is racial discrimination going on in say a liquor store, you don’t call the liquor control board – you call the DA. Why should commercial radio stations be treated differently?
COOOOORRRRR—ect.
Every Arbitron rated station, I think, has to subscribe to the service.
Not dead sure, but I know that somebody pays them for their service.
Whoever it is, they don’t pay for politically correct pap. They pay for good data.
Arbitron’s disclaimer from their site.
Yes, the service as well as Nielsen is paid for and it is VERY expensive! Most buyers won’t buy a stations/networks that doesn’t have some form of rtg estimation.
They will never get complete clarity because the industry is based on a sample of the complete universe of TL’s broken out by DMA’s and what is bought National/Spot/National Spot.
Also, many minorites aren’t bought by big advetisers no matter what the numbers are because their population size isn’t large enough Asian radio/TV is a perfect example. It’s not a profitable buy for advertisers and the CPP/CPM/IMP/Rtgs are to expensive and not large enough.
As I said in another post this is a new service and will get better as it evolves just like the new Live/C3/C7 minute by minute rtg for TV.
During my 17 year career the actuals are always skewed or inaccurate and advertisers have always complained about the Church of Nielsen and Arbitron.
“…the industry is based on a sample of the complete universe of TL (total listeners?) broken out by the DMA (Diary Market Area?)and what is bought Natonal/Spot/National Spot?” Sorry, I dont get it.
Anyway, I think the Aribtron Radio Dairy sample sizes are too small as well, is that your point? Then your concern would be the same as the FCC committee that is questioning several areas of the PPM methodology, like the sample sizes of minorities.
People here are assuming motives of the committe and they are probably right, but nobody here has pointed to anything specific, disclaimer included, about the methodology questions raised by the committee.
Further, I dont see how anyone can claim they know what “most buyers” will or will not buy unless they are one themselves or have data to back that claim up. I knew buyers that would not buy off a straight cost per point or cost per thousand but who would negotiate room in their media budget for decisions based upon psycographic data about minorities, if they thought was good for the client/product.
DUE TO THE RECENT (5/19) ANNOUNCMENT BY U.S.HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE CLYBURN ABOUT A PLAN TO ASK THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT FOR BAILOUT FUNDS FOR MINORITY BROADCASTERS, I HEREBY RETRACT MY DEFENSE OF THEM.
If you read my prior post I was a National/Local Broadcast Buyer and AE at Networks for most of my career IN NYC so yes I can say I know what most buyers buy!!!! I am a consultant now