Join
People for Better TV:
Dear Organizational Friend:
Please join us in a new initiative we are calling People
for Better TV.
As you may know Congress authorized the FCC
to license additional public spectrum to broadcasters to begin a transition
to digital TV. Stations in the top ten markets
are supposed to begin using this public property on May 1. As of today,
the FCC has yet to say what the broadcasters owe the public in return.
In fact, they have yet to hold hearings. While we do have a list of recommendations
(see below), our first simple message is: No license to public property
without rules on how to serve the public. Let's have a public hearing.
We are asking you to add your name to our list of organizations supporting
People for Better TV. There are no obligations for work on your part, though
we will invite you to our meetings.
People for Better TV
If it takes a village to raise a child, who shapes the village? Increasingly
the answer is media, especially TV. We have, this year, a real opportunity,
some would say responsibility, to shape TV, and thus America, for the better.
It is the first such opportunity in over sixty years, and it will not last
long.
With the gift of an additional 70 billions dollars worth of public airwaves
to existing broadcasters for digital television, the Federal Communications
Commission must make new rules regarding the public interest obligations
of broadcasters. Finally, the public will have an opportunity to say what
the broadcasters should give back. If you are concerned about the impact
of TV on children, or the quality of the discussion
of important issues, now is the time to express your concerns.
We must make the most of this moment before television makes the transition
to digital and becomes an even more powerful force in American society.
The relationship between broadcasters and citizens has changed dramatically
since the 1934 Communications Act: Broadcasters were once required to ascertain
community needs. They once adhered to a Fairness Doctrine. Licenses were
for two years. Competitive hearings were held to determine which prospective
licensee was the best qualified to serve the local community. The number
of stations one entity could control was far more limited that it is today
-- as was the percentage of the national audience one owner could reach.
It is also true that other sources of programming did not exist when
the regulations for the broadcast industry were first negotiated. Internet,
cable and direct broadcast satellite television now compete for broadcast
television audience, even as they extend the reach of broadcast television.
Television executives understandably consider the future with caution.
But the sky is not falling. Indeed, despite a decreasing share of the audience,
broadcasters' advertising dollars are increasing. And in most instances
the broadcasters are only competing with another division of their parent
company.
Just as television did not herald the death of motion pictures, neither
will the Internet and other program sources replace television. It is more
likely that new communications technologies will increase the power of
television: The reach of the local TV signal will be extended. Old programs
will have new life. New programs can be repeated at different times. Pay-per-view
events will be broadcast. Interactivity will allow broadcasters to capture
more information about viewer use and more effectively target advertisements.
Many predict that TV and personal computers convergence will create a rosy
future for broadcasters, particularly given their exclusive license to
the most valuable parts of the public's airwaves.
The old deal struck in 1934 was that broadcasters get the use of public
airwaves for free and in exchange they must serve the public interest of
their local communities. That old deal has eroded. A new deal, both reasonable
and enforceable, must be made in exchange for new airwaves, to protect
and advance the public good. The hallmarks of that deal should be fair
representation of viewpoints, respect for children and families, recognition
of worker's rights, and accountability to local communities. Simply put
-- in exchange for the use of the public airwaves broadcasters should serve
the public interest.
We invite you to join People for Better TV. We are urging the government
to act on behalf of viewers as we move into the digital age.
Here are our recommendations:
1. Educational Programs and Services. Digital television's ability
to provide rich pictures and many layers of information suggests a unique
opportunity for educational programs. Every television station which uses
the public airwaves should be required to set aside a minimum of 7 hours
each week to provide quality educational programs or significant educational
services (such as data transmission for schools) to students of all ages.
The nation's future strength will depend upon the access of all members
of our society to educational resources, and no means of communication
is as ubiquitous or as effective an educator as television.
2. Limits on Commercials During Children's Programs. Children
should not be bombarded with commercial advertisements or with advertising
disguised as entertainment or educational programs. We recommend that digital
broadcasters be limited to no more than four commercials, no more than
sixty seconds long, per hour during children's programs.
3. Public Affairs and Political Programming. Too many vital issues
and perspectives of importance to the nation remain unexpressed and unexamined.
Digital broadcasters should be required to use the new power of digital
transmission to expand the number of perspectives expressed over the public
airwaves. We recommend one hour of public affairs programming every day
per channel with at least an equal emphasis on local issues and needs,
including free and fair political discussion. Such programming should air
in visible time periods during the day and evening. News shows should not
be used to satisfy this public affairs programming requirement.
4. Public Service Announcements. Digital broadcasters should
provide one public service announcement for every four commercials, with
at least equal emphasis placed on independent and locally produced PSAs
addressing a community's local needs. PSAs should run in all day parts
including in primetime and at other times of peak viewing. PSAs should
not be a substitute for in-depth public affairs programming.
5. A Content-Based Ratings System. We recommend that digital
broadcasters be required to provide viewers a ratings system about the
content of programs. Through the increased information capability of digital
technology the present ratings system can be substantially improved upon.
Broadcasters should provide the public much more information, from a variety
of independent sources, about the nature (such as violent or sexual content)
of the programs being broadcast, as they are being broadcast. This should
enable parents to screen out programs they do not want in their homes.
6. Support for Public Service Media. In return for their use
of the public spectrum broadcasters should be required to make a small
percent contribution of their gross revenue to pay into state and national
trusts to support non-commercial local and national public service media.
In addition, broadcasters should be required to set aside a small percent
of their gross revenue to satisfy their public interest programming obligations.
7. Channel Space for Public Service Media. Digital broadcasters
who multiplex should be required to set aside channel space for non-commercial
media. We also support those recommendations which call for a reservation
of noncommercial channel space dedicated to public service, once broadcasters
are required to return spectrum now used for analog broadcasting.
8. Community Outreach. Digital stations should be required to
reach out to ordinary citizens and local leaders to determine community
needs and interests. This process of reaching out and involving the community
should serve as the station's road map for addressing these needs through
news, public affairs, children's and other local programming, and public
service announcements. Public input should be invited on a regular basis
through postal and electronic mail services as well as broadcast announcements.
The call for requests for public input should be accessible to the disabled.
The stations should report quarterly during the year to the public on their
findings.
9. Accountability. Digital broadcasters should disclose their
public interest programming and activities on a quarterly basis, matched
against the ascertained community needs and interests. This should be done
using standardized, easy to complete forms sensitive to administrative
burdens and easily understood by the public.
10. Reporting on Diversity Efforts. Whether it is in programming,
political discourse, hiring, promotion, or business opportunities within
the industry, digital broadcasters must make an effort to reflect the nation's
diversity. We recommend that broadcasters seize the opportunities inherent
in digital television technology to support these goals and to report quarterly
to the public on their efforts. Serving diverse interests within a community
is both good business and good public policy.
11. Closed Captioning and Descriptive Services. A digital broadcast
station should provide closed captioning and descriptive services for the
blind of PSAs, public affairs programming, and political programming. Captioning
and descriptions in these areas should be phased in over the first 4 years
of a station's digital broadcasts, but should be completed no later than
2006.
12. Privacy protection. Digital television, particularly when
combined with telephone and cable technologies, creates many opportunities
for broadcasters to learn about consumer choice and preference, and to
cater to those preferences through targeted programming and commercials.
Consumers should have the power to prevent the collection and sale of information
about their personal program or product choices.
13. Rate protection. Digital television will provide broadcasters
the ability to generate scrambled "pay-per-view" programs, in much the
same way that cable can do today. Consumers should be protected from excessive
rates. The Federal Communications Commission should have the power to regulate
the rates charged by broadcasters for pay- per-view programs.
Steering Committee
American Academy of Pediatrics
Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy
Communications Workers of America
Consumer Federation of America
Easter Seals Society
League of United Latin American Citizens
NAACP
National Council of Churches
National Organization for Women
Project on Media Ownership
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Organizational Sign On
I would like to add my organization's name to the list of supporters
for People for Better TV.
Organization:
Contact:
Address:
Phone: Fax: E-Mail:
Please note: This form can also be completed on the People for Better
TV website www.bettertv.org
Please mail your completed form to the National Organization for Women
Foundation
733 15th Street, NW* 2nd Floor * Washington, DC
20005 * (202) 785-8576 (fax)
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