Look Who's Asking for Bailout Money!

The federal government is angling to get its nose under the tent of private radio broadcasting. Again.

No, it's not the return of the Fairness Doctrine. They know we will not stand for that.

It's Diversity.

WASHINGTON --A group of minority broadcasters asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Monday for financial assistance akin to the aid that has been extended to the financial and auto industries.

"Minority-owned broadcasters are close to becoming an extinct species," the letter said. "Even in better economic times, minority broadcasters have historically had difficulties accessing the capital markets."

The broadcasters told Mr. Geithner they can bounce back if they are given some temporary assistance while the credit markets are slow. "Unlike the auto business, broadcasting has been healthy for many years," their letter said.

The broadcasters appeal follows a proposal sent in May to Mr. Geithner by a group of influential House members asking for a minority broadcaster support program, bridge funding, or government-backed loans.

The House letter was signed by House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D., S.C.) and a group of key committee chairmen, including Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D., Mass.) Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D., N.Y.) and Oversight Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns, (D., N.Y.).

The Oklahomily Rule of Thumb includes this corollary: When Barney Frank, Charley Rangel and James Clyburn are all pushing for something, lock away your valuables and hide the women and children. We will now add the name of Edolphus Towns to that list of scoundrels. By the way, I understand that Rep. Clyburn's daughter, Mignon, is one of President Obama's nominees to sit on the FCC board.

Wouldn't be any conflict of interest here, no siree!

With TARP-type assistance, the federal government can do to public broadcasting what it is doing to the American auto industry: turn a private enterprise into a ward of the state, to be controlled by the state, and with federal assistance comes the promise that intervention will help create "a level playing field."

Or in other words, everyone else had better watch out.

There is nothing less temporary than a government bailout.

Where in the U.S. Constitution does it give the government the authority to regulate broadcasting in the first place? This is a question that should've been asked 80 years ago. When was the U.S. government issued title to electronic frequencies that any grade school science student can create? I can see society agreeing to abide by minimal regulations so that broadcast radio and TV signals do not "stomp" upon others. I fail to see where government has the authority to "own" the airwaves and "auction" off frequencies, or even tell broadcasters what content they should "provide."

And you will undoubtedly say, "Tom, that horse galloped out of the barn decades ago!"

True, but we'd better decide how many more horses we are willing to lose. Read some more of this article:

At a hearing last week, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters President James Winston told lawmakers that advertisers have severely cut investments in minority audiences at the same time minority broadcasters are having difficulty negotiating loan terms with banks.

Research from the Internet advocacy group Free Press says minorities own just 7.7% of full power commercial radio stations and 3.2% of full power commercial TV stations.

Minority broadcast ownership also is an issue important to Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Michael Copps, who was acting chairman of the agency earlier this year.

Companies and groups that signed on to the Geithner letter included the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, the Inner City Broadcasting Coalition, the Spanish Broadcasting System, Taxi Productions Inc., and Carter Broadcast Group, Inc.

If these companies can't produce a profit with the stations they own, how is giving them taxpayer money going to strengthen them? Worse, how is busting up outfits like Clear Channel -- one of the ideas being discussed to promote minority ownership -- going to help them. If you can't run one station at a profit, what makes you think you can run two, or a dozen?

What we are really talking here is not minority ownership, or diversity. We are talking mediocrity ownership, in that they obviously are not putting a product out that generates enough listener or viewer enthusiasm to entice advertisers.

This has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with philosophy, with attitude.

No radio/TV bailouts for anyone.

Period.