Comments on: Sometimes the Grassroots Wins: KRXQ Hosts Apologize for Defaming Transgendered Children http://www.mediageek.net/2009/06/sometimes-the-grassroots-wins-krxq-hosts-apologize-for-defaming-transgendered-children/ An unabashed fan of grassroots & indie media, criticially examining our media environment. Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:19:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Paul http://www.mediageek.net/2009/06/sometimes-the-grassroots-wins-krxq-hosts-apologize-for-defaming-transgendered-children/comment-page-1/#comment-197451 Paul Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:14:05 +0000 http://www.mediageek.net/?p=1950#comment-197451 In the case of KRXQ nobody has stopped anyone from doing anything. Rob & Arnie could continue to defame TG children all they wanted, except that their sponsors wouldn't continue to pay for it. If they choose that they can do without the sponsors, no problem. You'll note that neither the FCC nor any other gov't regulator stepped in. And I think it's well within any sponsor's rights to choose what it wants to pay for, or to choose what segment of its customer base it wants to listen to. Rob & Arnie had a choice -- they could choose to ignore the loss of sponsors, or try to find other sponsors who don't care if they advocate the physical abuse of TG children. They could choose to go to another station or start a podcast. In the end, I think the money mattered more to them. And that's really the crux. It's not about free speech. They have free speech, but that doesn't mean they're free from experiencing consequences from what they say, like the loss of sponsors. Apparently the consequences weren't worth it for them. I don't think we need to worry about "where it will end." Grassroots groups of all kinds contact sponsors of programs they don't like and very few succeed. I think the success happens when a particular program crosses a line that the culture at large starts to think is intolerable. Targeted violence against racial minorities is no longer considered tolerable in most mainstream programming, either. It's not illegal, but most sponsors don't want to be associated with it. Go online or maybe even troll the late night AM radio dial and you might find that speech -- you just won't find it in the mainstream, and that's a good thing by my reckoning. If everyone could have an FM radio station if s/he wanted one, then I might not care so much. But an FM license is still a rare monopoly over a single frequency that few get to use. It's given free in exchange for operating in the public interest. Advocating violence towards TG in no way is in the public interest. In the case of KRXQ nobody has stopped anyone from doing anything. Rob & Arnie could continue to defame TG children all they wanted, except that their sponsors wouldn’t continue to pay for it. If they choose that they can do without the sponsors, no problem.

You’ll note that neither the FCC nor any other gov’t regulator stepped in. And I think it’s well within any sponsor’s rights to choose what it wants to pay for, or to choose what segment of its customer base it wants to listen to.

Rob & Arnie had a choice — they could choose to ignore the loss of sponsors, or try to find other sponsors who don’t care if they advocate the physical abuse of TG children. They could choose to go to another station or start a podcast. In the end, I think the money mattered more to them.

And that’s really the crux. It’s not about free speech. They have free speech, but that doesn’t mean they’re free from experiencing consequences from what they say, like the loss of sponsors. Apparently the consequences weren’t worth it for them.

I don’t think we need to worry about “where it will end.” Grassroots groups of all kinds contact sponsors of programs they don’t like and very few succeed. I think the success happens when a particular program crosses a line that the culture at large starts to think is intolerable. Targeted violence against racial minorities is no longer considered tolerable in most mainstream programming, either. It’s not illegal, but most sponsors don’t want to be associated with it. Go online or maybe even troll the late night AM radio dial and you might find that speech — you just won’t find it in the mainstream, and that’s a good thing by my reckoning.

If everyone could have an FM radio station if s/he wanted one, then I might not care so much. But an FM license is still a rare monopoly over a single frequency that few get to use. It’s given free in exchange for operating in the public interest. Advocating violence towards TG in no way is in the public interest.

]]> By: Chris Weagel http://www.mediageek.net/2009/06/sometimes-the-grassroots-wins-krxq-hosts-apologize-for-defaming-transgendered-children/comment-page-1/#comment-197109 Chris Weagel Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:52:40 +0000 http://www.mediageek.net/?p=1950#comment-197109 So where does this end? Who decides which line is drawn where? I don't agree with the hosts diatribe against trans kids and I don't agree with someone like Bill O'Reilly's endless hate against abortion providers, but as someone who creates comedy and media I can also see the flip side of limiting what people can and cannot say - even on a publicly regulated spectrum like radio frequencies. So where does this end? Who decides which line is drawn where?

I don’t agree with the hosts diatribe against trans kids and I don’t agree with someone like Bill O’Reilly’s endless hate against abortion providers, but as someone who creates comedy and media I can also see the flip side of limiting what people can and cannot say – even on a publicly regulated spectrum like radio frequencies.

]]>