According to the Curmudgeony Librarian, the FCC has declined a request by a Saul Levine — a California radio station owner — to apply the same standards to satellite radio as they do to AM/FM radio. Essentially, he wanted satellite radio to be censored just like AM/FM radio:
Levine argued among other things that this lack of standards would create an unleveled playing field for airwave broadcasters.
This is funny coming from a medium dominated by a single corporate entity (Clear Channel). There certainly isn’t a level paying field in AM/FM radio right now. To his credit, though, Levine’s stations play classical and oldies music, and he has resisted buy-out offers from the big conglomerates. I feel really bad for guys like Levine. I’m afraid that a double-punch from Clear Channel and Satellite Radio might do these last few independent radio guys (and gals) in. In my opinion, this doesn’t mean that satellite radio should be censored, but that no single entity should be able to own so many radio stations and take over the airwaves. Competition is good. Stifling freedom of speech is bad. And satellite radio is the only opportunity in most markets to hear decent music these days.
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