Sep. 11, 2023: Media scholar, Steve Macek, interviewed about the importance of petition

In a September 11, 2023, podcast interview, media scholar Steve Macek discussed the license-renewal issue and his Aug 31 article on the Project Censored website.

“We now -- the public -- have standing any time the FCC considers whether to renew a broadcast license because broadcasters are required…to serve “the public interest, convenience, and necessity,” said professor of communication and media studies Steve Macek.. “It is very similar to public utilities….They are regulated differently than other businesses. They’re private businesses, but…they’re supposed to operate in the public interest.”

“We shouldn’t take people’s licenses away impetuously. And really what this [MAD] petition is calling for is for the FCC to hold…an evidentiary hearing…where evidence could be offered that would be open to the public,” said Macek. “And that would have a beneficial effect, even if the FCC never took away WTXF’S license,…providing some transparency about the internal operations of the media, chastening them for violating the public trust.”

Petitions like MAD’s can accomplish important things, even when rejected, Macek said. “In the 1970s, the National Organization for Women challenged the broadcast license of [a New York] ABC affiliate….Ultimately, their petition…was turned down. But as a result…, that affiliate hired more women into key positions of power…decision making positions…not just in front of the camera, but behind the camera. So it helped to advance the cause of gender equity” regardless.

The Project Censored podcast and transcript are here.