Local Angle

Over at Slate, Tom Hazlett has an interesting piece about the FCC rules that prevent satellite radio from competing with broadcasters by offering local news, weather, sports, and traffic information. A good illustration of how protectionism masquerades as regulation in "the public interest."

Comments

[Matthew Cromer]

More of the commentary that Reason should be offering up, instead of taking sides with John Kerry in returning to a pre-9/11 foreign policy, wishing away the very real problem of WMD in terrorist states like North Korea and believing that our freedom can be secure in a world with 11th century nuclear powers like North Korea and its mad monarch.

[kevrob]

Making "local programming" available nationally would seem like a good thing to the millions of Americans who do not live, either temporarily or permanently, in the community where they were raised, or educated, or otherwise still have a connection. I use internet radio to keep track of certain local events Back East, where much of my family lives, and where my favorite sports teams still play. Having a convenient portable source might be worth signing-up with XM or Sirius.

In the city I reside in, one locally-owned company owns the only daily newspaper, the most popular AM station, an FM'er, a chain of weekly shoppers/community newspapers and the top-rated station for TV news. They could stand a little more competition than the Clear Channel AM outlets on radio, which have relocated their on-air news staff to another city!

Kevin

[Ed from Boca Raton]

I agree with the regulators, and I'd take it a step further: force TV networks to alter programming to fit each local market. Thus, the "Friends" beamed to my area would feature Rachel as a stripper, Joey as a cocaine importer,
Ross as Mercedes-driving Boca-brat and Chandler as, well, a wise-ass dork.

[Jesse Walker]

More of the commentary that Reason should be offering up

I wrote about it last October, Matthew.