A Note On KSFO

After some communication with KSFO host Melanie Morgan regarding the KSFO versus Spocko kerfluffle, it might be fair to make a few items clear.

I've been informed that while ABC did request Spocko's ISP not use their copyrighted material to attack their business, ABC did offer the use of transcripts, presumably as a matter of Fair Use. That suggests Spocko and Mike Stark could have gone on with their misguided boycott effort without interference from ABC. But then they might not have generated all the buzz they most likely sought.

It's also my impression that, as conservative hosts, the talkers on KSFO probably don't agree with ABC's seeking a cease and desist order in the matter, but that would have been a legal decision over which the hosts had little or no control.

Lastly, while apparently one unnamed advertiser did not return to the show, all the others have and from reading elsewhere, it appears KFSO's ad spots are fully booked.

With politicians of both parties playing with gerrymandering and balking on term limits while accumulating power, the market place may be the single best repository of democracy in America. And the market place seems to have decided on Right versus Left wing talk radio.

Hopefully, the misguided effort of Dennis Kucinich to bring back the Fairness Doctrine won't result in average Americans having fewer choices in what they'd like to read, listen to, or watch in media programming today. For more on the Fairness Doctrine please see here. h/t Instapundit.

Comments

[Rick]

"....the misguided effort of Dennis Kucinich to bring back the Fairness Doctrine...."

Does that moonbat ever make any *other* kind of effort? I mean, really.

Cordially...

[Jon G]

I don't get what the objection to the Fairness Doctrine is. The increasing concentration of media ownership allowing sole ownership of all media outlets in a city by a single entity is a threat to both conservatives and liberals. Having a policy that guarantees both sides get their arguments heard seems simple common sense.

[Dan Riehl]

I don't get what the objection to the Fairness Doctrine is.

A perfect example is Air America versus Right Talk. One died commercially, one is going strong. The fairness doctrine could easily require a station to balance both. Doing that would cost them valuable revenue and, as it stands now, the popular right talk would be subsidizing the Left talk.

Problem is, businesses can't lose money, or break even. So the solution they all previously embraced was to not carry much political discussion at all. That leaves nothing but public outlets like NPR and the MSM. Net net - tyhe fairness doctrine would simply shut down the recent growth in conservative media. And that's what most suspect is behind that idiot Kucinich's effort.

[Rheinhard]

Boy it's a good thing that "businesses can't lose money" thing wasn't in effect during the first 3 years of Fox News' operations, or today we wouldn't be treated to the penetrating insights of Messrs. O'Reilly and Hannity.

[revenuer]

Stated above: "It's also my impression that, as conservative hosts, the talkers on KSFO probably don't agree with ABC's seeking a cease and desist order in the matter, but that would have been a legal decision over which the hosts had little or no control."

Melanie Morgan 01/12/07 (WorldNetDaily): "I've been the target, as have a number of other conservative talk-radio hosts, of an effort by liberal bloggers to get me fired for engaging in what these far-left activists are calling "hate speech....One anonymous online blogger compiled audio clips edited to make it look like I was calling for the murder of Nancy Pelosi, when I did no such thing."

How can one reconcile these two statements?

[Phoenix]

"How can one reconcile these two statements?"

They both deal with free speech issues - those who use free speech and those who are forced to censor them because others have attempted to turn free speech into hate speech by devious means in order to bring about censure.

No one wants any of this to happen.

[uncle joe mccarthy]

Mr, Riehl,

i suggest you look a little more deeply into the matter of ksfo vs spocko.

if it were true that abc/disney's cease and desist were solely about the clips used, why was the cease and desist not issued until after spocko sent the clips to advertisers?

additionally, why was spocko's website taken down even after the clips were removed?

if the talkers on ksfo did not want the cease and desist to ever occur, and had no problems with what spocko was doing, why did they spend 3 hours of radio time attacking spocko and attempting to malign his character?

if they werent in fear of losing advertisers, why spend even a minute discussing the issue.

so it is fair use to use transcripts but not fair use to use audio clips? does this sound logical? especially after you just appeared on a show that used the self same clips under the same fair use law that spocko was?

what abc/disney did should put a chill into bloggers on both ends of the spectrum. for both sides use clips (both audio and video) in order to educate and make points...no different then what spocko did.

even you yourself noted that on the show yesterday.

[TheSpartan]

Spocko and Stark have not organized a boycott of any kind in any fashion. They were simply bringing the content of the shows to the attention of the advertisers. You would think KSFO would be proud enough of what they were putting out to not care.

I also find it amusing that the right is in fear of a return to "fairness". Of course people like Rush would be concerned if they were actually required to prove the things they say.

[Bacchus]

I agree with TheSpartan. Ksfo's growing paranoia of a small grass roots blog is amusing. Spocko was perfectly in his rights to post the audio clips of the Ksfo's "talk show hosts" to enlighten people on how to deal with ultra-right winged radio hosts that spew hate on public airwaves. I also find is very amusing that they tried to order a cease and desist on Spocko after seeing their sponsors running for the hills. The proof is in the pudding. Ksfo is claiming internet smear campaigns. You hear what you hear. You be the judge. When people call Obama an "halfrican" it is offensive. How do you deal with idiots who think by spewing racist comments on our public air waves is clever? You threaten their sponsers with boycotts and expose their rhetoric. AAA, BofA and Master Card I don't think even listened to the show. It's repulsive actually. Good for Spocko. Keep them reeling.