Posted in: ABC, CBS, NBC, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: fcc, opinion, trump

FCC to Broadcasters: Trump TV or Else; Why FOX "News" Should Worry

FCC Chair Brendan Carr sent out a warning to broadcasters that sounds like the kind of thing country's with state-run television like to do.

Nearly a month after Donald Trump's FCC talking head, Brendan Carr, offered some passive-aggressive "advice" to the networks on how they can best be more "pro-America" to better celebrate the U.S.'s 250th anniversary this year, Carr's not even pretending that he's not trying to help Trump create his own state-run media. Speaking on behalf of an administration known for dropping steaming piles of lies on a regular basis, Carr took to social media to offer broadcasters a choice: be more Trump-friendly or risk losing your license.

"Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions – also known as the fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up," the FCC chair wrote in a tweet, which included a screencap of one of Trump's rants over on his version of social media. "The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not. And frankly, changing course is in their own business interests since trust in legacy media has now fallen to an all time low of just 9% and are ratings disasters. The American people have subsidized broadcasters to the tune of billions of dollars by providing free access to the nation's airwaves. It is very important to bring trust back into media, which has earned itself the label of fake news. When a political candidate is able to win a landslide election victory after in the face of hoaxes and distortions, there is something very wrong. It means the public has lost faith and confidence in the media. And we can't allow that to happen. Time for change!"

Right off the bat, you know Carr was dancing around in a Trump cheerleading outfit after writing this line: "When a political candidate is able to win a landslide election victory after in the face of hoaxes and distortions, there is something very wrong." That's some serious fanboying from a dude who spend a bit more time understanding the First Amendment and how the news isn't there to be Trump's mouthpiece. As for trust, someone might want to direct Carr to Trump's polling numbers – the ones FOX "News" has been reporting. But we get it. When you're facing a midterm election that could be a righteous rebuke on all of the crap that's been going down, your only choice is to control the media and make it difficult, if not impossible, for people to vote – and that's exactly what we're seeing go down.

And then there's that FOX "News" matter. Before any of you start whining that FOX "News" is cable and not broadcasting, you're right. But back in February, the news hit that Fox News Media is producing a new 90-second news brief that will air on FOX's owned-and-operated television stations (and is available to all Fox Affiliated Stations across the country). FOX "News'" very own Bill Melugin anchors the "news" segments, which air on FOX local stations (including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, Atlanta, D.C., and San Francisco). With FOX "News" now having a presence on broadcast stations, will the FCC put FOX "News" under the microscope to make sure none of those FOX "News" fallacies make it on the air?

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