FCC Chief Wants ‘Shock Radio’ Unplugged
The Federal Communications Commission chairman urged the nation’s broadcasters today to tune out “shock radio,” programs that use sexually and racially oriented humor to attract audiences.
“We are not simply recorders, transmitters and antennas,” Alfred Sikes told those attending the National Assn. of Broadcasters radio convention. “We are what we broadcast.”
Sikes, a former owner of several radio stations, said the association should revive its programming code, dropped in the early 1980s as the result of a federal anti-trust lawsuit against provisions regarding commercials.
Such standards should be drawn up by the industry without government pressure, said Sikes, who took over the FCC chair in August.
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