Radio News and the FCC
The government takes a greater role in regulating broadcast journalism than it does print. Although it usually maintains a handsoff position when it comes to newspapers, the government keeps a watchful eye on radio to ensure that it meets certain operating criteria. Since the FCC perceives the airways as public domain, it expects broadcasters to operate in the public’s interest. The FCC requires that radio reporters present news factually and in good faith.
Stories that defame citizens through reckless or false statements may not only bring a libel suit from the injured party but action from the FCC, which views such behavior on the part of broadcasters as contrary to the public’s interest. Broadcasters are protected under the First Amendment and therefore have certain rights, but as public trustees, they are charged with the additional responsibility of acting in a manner that benefits rather than harms members of society. Broadcasters are free to express opinions and sentiments on issues through editorials. However, to avoid controversy, many radio stations choose not to editorialize even though the FCC encourages them to do so.
News Ethics
The highly competitive nature of radio
places unusual pressure on news people. In
a business where being first with the story
is often equated with being the best, certain
dangers exist. Being first at all costs can be
costly, indeed, if information and facts are
not adequately verified. As previously mentioned, it is the radio journalist’s obligation
to get the story straight and accurate before
putting it on the air. Anything short of this
is unprofessional.
The pressures of the clock, if allowed,
can result in haphazard reporting. If a story
cannot be sufficiently prepared in time for
the upcoming news broadcast, it should be
withheld. Getting it on-air is not as important as getting it on-air right. Accuracy is the
newsperson’s first criterion. News accounts
should never be fudged. It is tantamount to
deceiving and misleading the public.
News reporters must exhibit discretion
not only in the newsroom but also when on
the scene of a story. It is commendable to
assiduously pursue the facts and details of a
story, but it is inconsiderate and insensitive
to ignore the suffering and pain of those
involved. For example, to press for comments from a grief-stricken parent whose
child has just been seriously injured in an
accident is callous and cruel and a disservice to all concerned, including the station the newsperson represents. Of course, a
newsperson wants as much information as
possible about an incident, but the public’s
right to privacy must be respected.
Objectivity is the cornerstone of good
reporting. A newsperson who has lost his
or her capacity to see the whole picture is
handicapped. At the same time, the newsperson’s job is to report the news and not
create it. The mere presence of a member
of the media can inspire a disturbance or
agitate a volatile situation. Staging an event
for the sake of increasing the newsiness
of a story is not only unprofessional but
illegal. Groups have been known to await
the arrival of reporters before initiating a
disturbance for the sake of gaining publicity. It is the duty of reporters to remain as
innocuous and uninvolved as possible when
on an assignment. Recall Indra de Silva’s
comment earlier about the need for news
to be presented in a thoughtful and conscientious way
Several industry associations, such as
RTNDA and Society of Professional Journalists, have established codes pertaining to the
ethics and conduct of broadcast reporters.
Traffic Reports
Traffic reports are an integral part of
drivetime news programming at many metro-politan radio stations. Although providing
listeners with traffic condition updates can
be costly, especially air-to-ground reports
that require the use of a helicopter or small
plane, they can help strengthen a station’s
community service image and also generate substantial revenue. To avoid the cost
involved in airborne observation, stations
sometimes employ the services of local
auto clubs or put their own mobile units
out on the roads. A station in Providence,
Rhode Island, broadcasts traffic conditions
from atop a 20-story hotel that overlooks
the city’s key arteries. Fixed cameras at key
traffic locations are also used.
Says David Saperstein, “Companies like
Metro Network provide stations with outÂ
side traffic reporting services in a manner
that is more cost- and quality-effective than
a station handling it themselves.”
Traffic reports are scheduled several times
an hour throughout the prime commuter
periods on stations primarily catering to
adults, and they range in length from 30–90
seconds. The actual reports may be done
by a station employee who works in other
areas of programming when not surveying
the roads, or a member of the local police
department or auto club may be hired for
the job. Obviously, the prime criterion for
such a position is a thorough knowledge of
the streets and highways of the area being
reported.
News in Music Radio
In 1980s, the FCC saw fit to eliminate the
requirement that all radio stations devote a
percentage of their broadcast day to news
and public affairs programming. Opponents
of the decision argued that such a move
would mark the decline of news on radio.
In contrast, proponents of the deregulation commended the FCC’s actions that
allow for the marketplace to determine
the extent to which nonentertainment
features are broadcast. In the late 1980s,
RTNDA expressed the concern that local
news coverage had declined. This, they said,
had resulted in a decrease in the number
of news positions around the country. Supporting their contention they pointed out
that several major stations, such as KDKA,
WOWO, and WIND, had cut back their
news budgets.
At that time, RTNDA’s Bob Priddy noted,
“There has been a perceived decline in the
amount of news broadcast. I don’t see this
as a cold-hearted act on the part of station
managers, but rather one frequently inspired
by economics. The decline in news programÂ
ming is particularly alarming when you
realize that it is at a time when a number of
new stations are entering the airwaves.”
In 1992, RTNDA’s president, Dave
Bartlett, declared, “Deregulation really hasn’t
taken news off radio. News is far from dead
on the medium. The vast majority do news.
All deregulation did was allow the marketplace to adjust at will. A lot of shifting has
occurred, but the aggregate is the same.” A
couple of years later, a survey published in the association’s newsletter, Communicator,
told a different story. The report revealed
that hundreds of radio newsrooms had, in
fact, closed down and it suggested that many
more would likely occur. In 1994, Radio
World reported that over 1100 radio news
operations had closed since the deregulation
of the medium.
News director Sherman Whitman believes
that the radio audience wants news even
when a station’s primary product is music.
“The public has come to depend on the
medium to keep it informed. It’s a volatile
world and certain events affect us all. Stations that aim to be full-service cannot do
so without a solid news schedule.”