Take Back the Airwaves

TAKE BACK THE AIRWAVES
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Amy Goodman]
[Commentary] As the TV pundits on the networks gab about the tens of millions of dollars raised by the top presidential candidates, what they don't talk about is where that money is going: to their own networks. Money is now considered the single most important factor in our electoral process. Ideas and issues take a back seat to the bottom line. This prostitution of our electoral process has one key culprit: television advertising. Political advertising makes or breaks candidates, and it takes a huge amount of money to implement a national advertising strategy. Now more than 20 states are piling onto Feb. 5, 2008, as their primary day, including states like California and New York with large, expensive media markets. The early, deciding role of money and television advertising in determining who gets to run for president is secure. More than $2 billion will be poured into the broadcasters' coffers in the 2008 election cycle, almost all for use of the airwaves that the public owns. Imagine what could be done with that money--to register and educate voters, to fully equip polling stations with functioning voting machines, to produce many vigorous debates and public forums. The American public is being robbed by the National Association of Broadcasters. It's time to take back the airwaves.
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/50457/