June 17, 2008, - 11:54 am
FCC Affirmative Action: Sirius-XM Deal Hinges on Giving Minorities, Libs 24 Stations
By Debbie Schlussel
**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE ****
And we thought that the idea of a monopoly was what was holding up the Sirius-XM satellite radio merger.
Nu-uh.
Nope. It’s about setting aside a ton of channels on the new satellite conglomerate for “minorities” and “public broadcasting.” So says the BUSH-nominated “Republican” chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin. Who needs liberals when Republicans are doing the “Heckuva Job“?:
Much of the attention at the FCC over the next few weeks will focus on the issue of satellite channels that are set aside for noncommercial programming and minority-owned programming. FCC Chairman Martin suggested 8% of the combined company’s lineup be devoted to noncommercial and minority-owned stations, or 24 channels total.
That could mean seriously expanded space for religious broadcasters and public-radio broadcasters, such as American Public Media, which already provides programs such as “A Prairie Home Companion” to both satellite radio services.
Interesting. What the heck do they think the multiple rap and hip-hop stations on both Sirius and XM are? What do they think Snoop Dogg’s XM station and 50 Cent’s “G Unit Radio,” which dominates Eminem’s Shade 45 Sirius channel, are?
What does XM call the Oprah Channel? She’s not a minority? What do they call the channels that run Al Sharpton’s radio show? The XM women’s channel, “Take Five”–which begged me for an audition, then dissed me as being too intelligent of a conservative and for not repeating her left-wing orthodoxy, etc. (read the details here)–runs the audio of the syndicated “Tyra Banks” minstrel show. She’s not a minority? Amy Reyer–an intellectually-challenged uber-liberal, who has pro-choice, pro-Jane Fonda, and anti-John Roberts (S. Ct. Chief Justice) material hanging in her cubicle–programs the station. She wanted to run audio of the Fonda/Cindy Sheehan bus tour that never happened, telling me that women want to hear it. Right.
XM is dominated by PC liberal airhead programmers like Reyer. And yet they need more of the “public radio” BS she’s already pushing, to get FCC approval? Absurd.
And, of course, since far-left National Palestinian Radio a/k/a NPR can’t make it without mooching off of taxpayers on the terrestrial radio airwaves, XM and Sirius must give ’em more free airtime on satellite, despite the fact that public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion” already runs on both satellite services. Yup, the FCC’s version of “public affairs” radio is more liberal public radio crap that you subsidize.
24 stations of this–8% of the total channels on both services–to minorities and libs. Where is the conservative share? Both satellite radio stations have only one conservative channel, each, plus FOX News Radio. And despite a rare good, true conservative program, like The Michael Reagan Show and The Mike Church Show (on which I do movie reviews every Friday at 10:30 or 11 am Eastern), it’s the same old GOP talking points BS, including Sean Vannity (on ABC Radio) .
Don’t look for that to change in our favor. Instead, upon the merger, both satellite services will drop some conservative programming, not expand it. Let’s hope they drop some of the dead weight, like Vannity (whom we can hear to our mind’s discontent on terrestrial radio) and Wilkow (who regurgitates a la his friend Vannity and adds nothing).
And get ready for a whole lotta minority and lib programming. I have some suggestions:
* The X Channel–Louis Farrakhan’s loony followers get to rant on about the mothership coming to take them from this cracker (or is that cracka’?) earth and those dirty, gutter religionists, the JOOOOOS. Sample show: “Why We Hate Hockey: White Men with Sticks.”
* The PETA Channel–Vegan lifestyle shows (How to wear synthetic shoes without getting blisters; New dishes with Soylent Green, “To All The Animals I’ve Loved Before”)
* The Alec Baldwin/Babs Streisand Channel–Sean Vannity and Baldwin have a wrestling match in Canada (Alec’s new country), and I’m not sure whom to root for. I pray for both of them to lose. Streisand cancels yet another appearance in Israel and tells us how if McCain is elected, the Holocaust will happen again and Blacks will be slaves (which she said in 2000 regarding the Bush candidacy).
* “The View” Channel–More annoying anti-male talk from five of the dumbest yentas on the planet. The pseudo-est of pseudo-conservatives on earth, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, is also dumbest conservative on the globe. Hear more of her whines and praise of affirmative action, Al Sharpton, and Snoop Dogg. Covers the minority requirement, too. Sample show: “How to train men like dogs and other pets.” That was a repeated topic on “The View.”
**** UPDATE: If anything, I low-balled the number of lib and minority channels Sirius has. Here’s the lowdown:
Sirius has TWO NPR channels, two BBC channels, two CNN channels, Jamie Fox’s channel (he likes Muslim b/c his dad was one), the Cosmo channel (for chicks), the Playboy channel (all female hosts), the Gay channel (OutQ), Sirius Left, Indie Talk (supposed to be independent, but is left), FOUR hip hop stations, TWO Soul stations.
And they need MORE of these?! How ’bout less?
I agree with your assessment on this Debbie, but one thing–since they are going to expand programmming–mostly for the idiots (your example Radio channels are a hoot) — in order to balance things, we should demand that they give you a radio program also!
[BB: THANKS. BUT GOOD LUCK ON THAT. CLICK THE LINK TO MY EXPERIENCE AUDITIONING FOR XM. THEY STINK, AND THE PC STENCH IS REALLY MALODOROUS. DS]
BB on June 17, 2008 at 1:05 pm