[BC] Serving the community

[Harold Hallikainen]

> I've felt for many years that the FCC's narrow definition of "community of
> license" is hopelessly outdated and should be replaced by a regional- or
> market-based definition.  In a metro market, the significance of giving a
> political subdivision its "first local service" is archaic and no longer
> carries any real meaning, it has just become a means of playing legal
> games
> in allotment proceedings.
>
> Ever since formats were invented, listeners have been choosing stations
> for
> their programming, not because the a facility's license is assigned to a
> particular municipality.  In the case of WYXE, there is indeed a targeted
> "community", but it's defined in demographic terms, rather than by lines
> drawn on a map.  I'm sure the majority of Gallatin residents would still
> prefer to listen to Nashville stations (for content they enjoy) even if
> WYXE
> started speaking English again.  The FCC rules just haven't been revised
> (since 1934) to reflect this reality.
>
> One of my favorite quotes -- this is attributed to Laurence J. Peter, who
> wrote "The Peter Principle":
>  "Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has
> lost its status." Did the FCC ever designate a "community of license" for
> XM
> or Sirius?
>
> Mark
>


As pointed out, this is nothing new. See the history of the main studio
location rule at http://sujan.hallikainen.org/rw/insite/insite95.html .
See especially the stuff around the Suburban Community Policy.

Harold

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