roundtable: UCC Calls for CBS "Social Contract"

roundtable: UCC Calls for CBS "Social Contract"

UCC Calls for CBS "Social Contract"

Rick Crawford (crawford@cs.ucdavis.edu)
Wed, 20 Sep 1995 18:43:58 -0700 

Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 18:43:58 -0700
From: crawford@cs.ucdavis.edu (Rick Crawford)
Message-Id: <9509210143.AA17530@ivy.cs.ucdavis.edu>
To: roundtable@cni.org
Subject: UCC Calls for CBS "Social Contract"

  
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WESTINGHOUSE, CBS SHOULD ACCEPT A 'NEGOTIATED SOCIAL CONTRACT,'
SAYS LONGTIME ADVOCATE OF PUBLIC INTEREST PROGRAMMING

United Church of Christ
Office of Communication

In New York City:                             In Cleveland:
William C. Winslow                            Hans Holznagel
(212) 870-2137                                (216) 736-2214

For immediate release
Sept. 12, 1995


NEW YORK CITY--Westinghouse and CBS could become leaders in the
TV industry by accepting an idea proposed by interest groups:  "a
negotiated social contract" in which the newly forming network
would agree to supply "an adequate amount of core programming" in
the public interest--in this case, educational and informational
children's programs.

That was the message yesterday (Sept. 11) from the Rev. Everett
C. Parker, a longtime advocate of the public interest in the
media, at the 13th Annual Ethics in Telecommunications Lecture at
The Interchurch Center in New York City.

The idea of such a social contract appears in a petition filed
Sept. 8 by the United Church of Christ's Office of Communication,
Black Citizens for Fair Media and the Center for Media Education,
urging the Federal Communications Commission to deny Westinghouse
waivers it needs to gain control of CBS.

Parker, former head of the UCC's communications office, also
noted that the FCC negotiated such social contracts in the public
interest recently with Continental Cablevision and Time Warner.

If the FCC would engage in such negotiations in the case of
Westinghouse and CBS, "there is also the hope that Westinghouse,
with its long and distinguished record of professionalism and its
dedication to local community service, could be the bellwether
for providing diversity of views and services and generally
protecting the public interest on a national scale, which nobody
is doing now," Parker said.

"Good people in industry and government know very well that
ultimately the function of communications in our society has to
be something more than selling products, fattening profit margins
and stock values, and entertaining audiences predetermined by
advertisers," Parker said. "They know that in America
communication is also about the creation and maintenance of
community--in our case, democratic community.  They should be
encouraged--even goaded--into participating in discussions with
other good people, in all walks of life, who are concerned about
community.

"The proposed Westinghouse-CBS merger is a heaven-sent
opportunity to start the process and set the spirit and terms for
a national commitment that will guarantee the inclusion of moral
and communal principles that will guarantee a healthy public
sphere in future policy and technical decisions about
telecommunications matters.  If good people with the public
service records of Don McGannon's Group W Broadcasting and
William Paley's CBS behind them take the first step, others will
follow in providing community-oriented services that are
imaginative and constructive and that will attract loyal
followers to the outlets that provide them."

The United Church of Christ, with national offices in Cleveland,
has 6,200 local churches in the United States and Puerto Rico. 
It was formed in 1957 by the union of the Congregational
Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church.  Its
Office of Communication carries out projects to protect the
public interest and advance affirmative action in
telecommunications; provides educational programs in
communications; produces videotapes, a radio program and the
UCC's national newspaper; and carries out public relations work
for the denomination.

[EDITORS AND PRODUCERS:  For a copy of the full text of the speech
made by the Rev. Everett Parker, contact the UCC's Office of
Communication at (216) 736-2200.]

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UCC OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION <robinsol@ucc.org>

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