FREE AIR TIME

March 2000
		Should television networks be required to give free air time to candidates for public office? Barbara Cochran, president of the Radio-Television News Directors Association, and Paul Taylor, executive director of the Alliance for Better Campaigns, answer your questions.

Forum introduction Are the networks going to continue to settle for quiz programs? Why should anyone have for nothing something which has value? Why not charge broadcasters a fee for use of the public airwaves, and give the money to the people? How about reducing the number of days per week so there could be a real debate every week or two? Will free air time lower the amount of spending, or will it just mean seeing more of the candidates on the air? Why not mandate a free broadcast channel that airs debates, campaign info, and election coverage?     Online Special: Election 2000 Feb. 22, 2000 Negative campaigning Feb. 1, 2000 The primary press Jan. 12, 2000 Special interest ads Oct. 19, 1999 Campaign finance reform voted down Browse the NewsHour's coverage of the media and politics and campaigns   Alliance for Better Campaigns Federal Communications Commission Radio-Television News Directors Association

Chris Cuetara of Downingtown, Pa., asks: Why should anyone have for nothing something which has value? Let them (broadcasters) pay like anyone else. By what authority does anyone claim the right to commandeer the studios, microphones, etc.? Paul Taylor responds: The 1934 Communications Act allows broadcasters to act as "trustees" licensed to use the public’s airwaves. Under the law, broadcasters are supposed to "pay" for using the public’s airwaves by serving the "the public interest, convenience and necessity." And you’re right -- the airwaves are certainly valuable; broadcasters took in $36 billion from the sale of advertising time last year alone. In 1996, when Congress decided to give broadcasters additional spectrum space to facilitate their transition to digital technology, the broadcast lobby killed all attempts to auction this spectrum. Estimates of the value of that spectrum ranged up to $70 billion. Broadcasters received them for free.   Barbara Cochran responds: Broadcasters spend millions of dollars each year to provide the American public with entertainment, sports and news programming for free. For any other television service, viewers must pay a fee, a subscription service for cable programming or direct broadcast satellite, and they also must pay installation charges. Only broadcasters offer viewers free television programming. That's why Congress decided to allow broadcasters to use their portion of the spectrum at no charge -- to continue to keep free television available to all Americans. In performing public service in their communities, broadcasters provide billions of dollars in free air time for public service announcements and raise billions more for charity. A new survey by the NAB found that from August 1998 through July 1999 broadcasters gave $5.6 billion in time for public service announcements and raised $2.3 billion for charitable organizations and millions more for disaster relief and needy individuals.