FIRST OFF . . .

A public interest group started by Ralph Nader says that public affairs programming on television has decreased by more than half in the past 10 years because of deregulation by the Federal Communications Commission. Essential Information, claiming there has been a 51% decrease in issues-oriented public affairs TV programs since 1979, has called for re-establishment of the FCC’s Fairness Doctrine, which the agency repealed in 1987. It also seeks a return of so-called 5-5-10 rules that required broadcasters to devote certain percentages of their broadcasting hours to non-entertainment programming. The report, by Jim Donahue, was attacked immediately by broadcasters and by an FCC official who said the results were “incredible” and the report “sounds terribly bogus.” The study examined TV listings for programs at 217 stations in 50 markets on seven days in early 1988. The listings were compared with FCC-required program logs from 1975, 1978 and 1979. The study did not include cable TV. A spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters pointed out that two of the seven days fell during a “sweeps” period when audience-catching entertainment programs usually dominate and there is not likely to be much “heavy public affairs programming” presented.