Not Funny

While the Dems may not believe they can sneak a revival of the Fairness Doctrine past the public, they are agitating for local boards that will scrutinize radio content to make sure it fits...well, whatever local boards think are politically correct to broadcast.

The real trouble, and this is the original sin of the FCC, is that the government licenses station, and what the government gives, it can take away. The licensing should have nothing to do with content, but how can the government resist?

I was thinking about that when reading A Great Silly Grin, a book that tells you more about the British satire boom of the 60s than you want to know. One of the tales is how some British performers came over here (not Beyond The Fringe, who were on Broadway, but another group brought in by Peter Cook) and did their shows in New York clubs. Cabarets were licensed and if your card was pulled, no show.

The stuff they did was well received, but if they made any jokes about the Church, or about President Kennedy, someone would show up the next day telling them to drop the material or they'd be shut down. It's amazing how much things have changed. Yet I'm sure there are plenty of organizations that long for those good old days.