roundtable: Re: More on UCC Calls for CBS "Social Contract" (fwd)

roundtable: Re: More on UCC Calls for CBS "Social Contract" (fwd)

Re: More on UCC Calls for CBS "Social Contract" (fwd)

Vigdor Schreibman - FINS (fins@access.digex.net)
Sat, 23 Sep 1995 05:35:56 -0400 (EDT) 

Date: Sat, 23 Sep 1995 05:35:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
To: tp roundtable - messages <roundtable@cni.org>
Subject: Re: More on UCC Calls for CBS "Social Contract" (fwd)
Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950923053345.11945B-100000@access1.digex.net>


FYI

Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 10:18:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access4.digex.net>
To: fgg@asc.upenn.edu
Cc: BMSLIB@MITVMA.mit.edu, rkmoore@iol.ie, iwei-new@seatimes.com,
    qladmin@class.org, comnet@UNIX1.CIRC.GWU.EDU, blau@benton.org
Subject: Re: More on UCC Calls for CBS "Social Contract" (fwd)

On Thu, 21 Sep 1995 fgg@asc.upenn.edu wrote:

.....

> A group of public interest organizations, led by the Center for Media
> Education (a CEM affiliate) and including the UCC, petitioned the FCC to
> block the Westinghouse AND ANY FUTURE mergers unless they agree to the
> "social contract" committing a specified amount of time for children's
> programming.  This is widely considered a move to slow down the merger
> mania at least extract a price for it.  Everette Parker, who spoke in
> favor, is the pioneer public interest activist and advocate, responsible
> for some of the major advances and public protections that had been
> achieved (and are now being gutted).  Yesterday Bill Clinton came out in
> favor of the FCC proposal, in effect joining the petitioners.  As you
> can imagine, there is great opposition from the industry and even from
> some commissioners.  The trade papers speak about "extortion" and
> "blackmail."  So the issue is real, the demand is realistic (even
> minimal) and, with broad support, there is a chance of success.  It will
> not change the system (which is what CEM sets out to do), but may
> alleviate some of its most damaging aspects.  George Gerbner.

  I must protest this synthesis of the issue offered by George.

  The precondition for the agreement with Westinghouse is its obscene
merger with CBS for the purpose of asserting monopoly/oligopoly control
over the use of this nation's great broadcast spectrum.  And deal made by
public interest groups under such a preconditions is guaranteed to fail
for the obvious reason that the structure of power thereby sustained by
the monopolist and critic alike is designed to rape and plunder the public,
and not contribute to the public welfare.  

   In short, "the structure is the message" as George well knows.  The
tiny gain at the fringes extracted (with great opposition by the trade) in
return for the major propaganda cue won by Westinghouse for its monopoly
position is absolutely unacceptable. 

  Everette Parker stated in his press release, "The proposed
Westinghouse-CBS merger is a heaven-sent opportunity to start a process
and set the spirit and terms for a national commitment that will guarantee
the inclusion of moral principles that will guarantee a healthy public
sphere on future policy and technical decisions about telecommunications
matters."  A better piece of propaganda for the monopolists cannot be
imagined, but the conclusion is a damned lie, and Parker and George know
that! 

  Monopolists never serve the public, they only serve their bottom line. 
Public interest groups have no business, except in a state of feudalism, 
supporting such outrageous, antidemocratic conduct.

Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>

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