WASHINGTON, July 19, 2004 -- Thank you Commissioners Copps and Adelstein for your kind words. It's great to count you both as leaders in our ongoing effort to return mainstream media to the service of Americans.

MediaChannel.org is an international network of more than 1,200 independent media groups that have joined in support of media that is more diverse, democratic and accountable to the public interest. In February this year, MediaChannel.org launched Media for Democracy 2004, a citizens-powered initiative that monitors mainstream news coverage of the 2004 elections and takes action to support fair, democratic and issue-oriented standards of reporting.

Media for Democracy joined the Public Interest, Public Airwaves Coalition after our members across the country expressed their outrage that local stations were airing little to no election coverage, while at the same time profiting from the tidal wave of political ads that have come to dominate primetime viewing in many key states this year.

You have already heard it from others today: Political campaigns will spend more than $1.5 billion to place ads in local markets in 2004 1, a massive windfall for eager local broadcasters. As the researchers at FactCheck.org will testify, many of these ads spread political untruths meant to cast voters against one candidate or the other. You might be surprised to learn that there is no truth-in-advertising law that reins in false ads by federal candidates. Legally, campaigns can lie over the air about almost anything. Moreover, Title 47 of the Federal Communications Act requires local broadcasters to run these ads uncut, even if the content is known to be false. 2

Local stations are delighted to accept most ads without questioning their accuracy. At the same time, many refuse to devote even a fraction of their news time to credible political and candidate reports that would help voters set the record straight. In western Michigan, on an average night in July television viewers are 13 times more likely to hear about candidates and their positions from political ads than from the 5, 6 and 11 O'clock local newscasts. A similar bleak picture is emerging in other hotly contested election states, where broadcaster profits are taking a front seat to democracy.

Earlier this month, we heard broadcaster promise to provide more airtime to help candidates clear the air. Many local broadcast groups, including AH Belo Corp, Liberty Corp, Pappas Telecasting and Viacom/CBS, have pledged to offer up to five minutes a day of election coverage, and in some cases to give a cumulative 30 minutes per week to candidates seeking office in the November election. 3 This sounds promising, but the PIPA Coalition knows that local broadcasters can afford to give viewers a lot more. With the help of our local activists in 50 states, we will set forth a clear set of guidelines for each station to follow.

Last week Media for Democracy and Common Cause asked more than 150,000 members to agree to meet up with others in their community to urge local station managers to sign a pledge to air two hours of candidate- or election-issue centered discourse per week during the prime viewing hours in the six week run up to the election.

As of this morning, we have commitments of interest from local activists in more than 150 of the nations 210 designated market areas or in 71% of local TV markets nationwide.

Members from Massachusetts to New Mexico, North Carolina to California have already indicated their plans to approach local stations to pore over public files and meet with general managers to gain a pledge for a minimum standard of political coverage. Other meetings with broadcasters across the country will begin in the coming weeks.

After meeting with station mangers, PIPA Coalition activists can follow station compliance with rigorous monitoring of the broadcasters' primetime telecasts. In August, the PIPA Coalition will release our Citizens Media Watch scorecard, which enables local viewers to electronically compile statistics as they watch local coverage and to generate and share data that show whether or not community stations are holding to their PIPA pledge

I am confident that with some hard work, citizens will win back their airwaves, community-by-community, one station at a time. The PIPA Coalition promises to stay involved at every step of the way to help Americans settle the issue of who will control our media and to what end.

Thank you.

-- Timothy Karr is the Executive Director of MediaChannel.org and Media for Democracy. You can learn more about the Community-by-Community campaign at http://www.mediafordemocracy.us/mfd/local .

1. TNS Media Intelligence
2. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/47/315.html
3. Alliance for Better Campaigns -- http://www.bettercampaigns.org/hall/

© MediaChannel.org, 2004. All rights reserved.

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