PND (4/11/2000) -- Benton Foundation Report Finds Commercial Broadcasters Failing to Meet Community Needs

According to the report, "Market Conditions and Public Affairs Programming" during a typical fortnight, only 0.3 percent of the total commercial broadcast time is devoted to local public affairs programming. Arguing that the market is not meeting the needs of local communities, Benton is urging the Federal Communications Commission to begin a formal, public rulemaking to define the public interest obligations of digital television broadcasters as part of its comments filed at the Commission.

"Broadcasters' abysmal performance providing coverage of issues of local concern exemplifies the need for a rulemaking to clearly define their obligations," said Charles Benton, chairman of the Benton Foundation, who served on the President's Advisory Committee on the Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters. "The commission should begin that proceeding now and base the next generation of public interest obligations on a collection of principles that recognize the rights of viewers in American broadcasting."

Benton suggests that the FCC should adopt a set of principles — the Viewers' Bill of Rights — on which to base the proceeding. The Viewers' Bill of Rights recognizes that, per a 1969 Supreme Court ruling, the rights of viewers are paramount in American broadcast regulation and that a commitment to localism must be respected. Programming must be accessible to all Americans and should serve the needs of children, education, democracy, and diversity.

FCnote: The Benton Foundation (DC) had assets of $17,620,317 and made grants totaling $468,572 in the year ending 12/31/98.

"Benton Study Finds That Commercial Broadcasters Fail to Provide Communities With Local Public Affairs Programming Benton Calls on FCC to Adopt Viewers Bill of Rights." Benton Foundation Press Release 3/27/2000.

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