» Myth: The media system arose organically as the natural product of private entrepreneurial vision and heroism; the government simply comes in from the outside to meddle and interfere with this healthy, competitive state of nature.

» Reality: The media system is the product of the government policies that created it.

» Given that the airwaves are public, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was created in 1934 to represent the public interest – to monitor the allocation of licenses to broadcast on the public airwaves.

» The theory is this: we, as the owners of the public airwaves, give monopoly licenses to private, commercial companies to broadcast on very scarce and valuable channels in each community, and in exchange these private companies are allowed to maximize profit so long as they also give something back to the community, and serve the public interest.

» One of the key functions of the FCC, as the publicly-financed voice of the people in media matters, is to make sure that private media companies hold up their end of this public-private partnership, to assure that they use the space and power they’ve been given responsibly.

» Over time, the FCC has proven powerless to curb the power of commercial media, powerless to assure that the primary means of communication in a democracy serve the interests of democracy.

2. According to McChesney, what is the myth of where our media system came from?

3. How is government’s role portrayed in this myth?

4. In reality, according to McChesney, what was the government’s role in the creation of our media system?

5. Which specific pieces of legislation have shaped the media system over time?

6. When and why was the FCC established?

7. Why were broadcasters expected – and required – to include programming that would serve the public interest?

On what grounds was such a requirement instituted?

8. What kinds of programming do you think should be broadcast in the "public interest"?

9. According to McChesney, has the FCC been doing its job? What is the primary reason he gives for the way the FCC operates today?

10. In this section, McChesney points to a fundamental conflict between commercial interests and the public interest, between private interests and the interests of democracy. Talk about this potential conflict. And give some specific examples of where you might see it being played out in today’s media.

While one of the founding missions of the FCC was to assure that broadcasters served the public interest, there are different philosophies about the best way to accomplish this. On one side, there are those who believe that when the market is free of "government regulation", the people – and democracy – are bestserved. On the other side are those who believe that the market, and media companies, must be regulated in the interests of democracy and the people if democracy and the public are to be meaningfully served. Summarize and draw out the differences between these two philosophies, then weigh in with your own point of view – in a paper or a presentation – in response to this question: How can the FCC best serve the publicinterest?

Base your analysis on the following sources:

» For the so-called "de-regulatory side," see speeches by FCC chairman Michael Powell (www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Powell/spmkp806.html) and FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy (www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Abernathy/2001/spkqa108.html).

Be sure – in your paper or your talk – to do the following:

a. Summarize the key ideas and beliefs that seem to inform each side of this debate as articulated in

these documents.

b. Compare and contrast these ideas and beliefs so that the differences are clear.

c. Analyze these differences from your own perspective.

d. Craft an argument that advances and supports your own point of view on this question.

WHO GAVE THE AIRWAVES AWAY ?