You might have seen some of the coverage the national press gave to recent floods in Iowa. It was a dramatic event that frequently brought comparisons to Hurricane Katrina. Eighty-three of Iowa’s 99 counties have been declared disaster areas and some of the worst damage was done in Cedar Rapids, where it is estimated that up to one-fifth of the population was displaced by the damage.
Before the flood waters had receded in many areas, Sue Toma, the executive director of the Iowa Broadcasters Association, sent a letter [1]to Chairman Kevin Martin of the Federal Communications Commission extolling the performance of the broadcast stations in Iowa. She said that because broadcasters had responded so well during the crisis, the FCC did not need to strengthen localism requirements. She called the broadcasters’ performance their “finest hour” and said, “I can’t help but note that the Iowa floods come at a time when well-meaning but misguided activists are questioning broadcasters’ commitment to localism.”
It is true that many of the broadcast stations performed admirably and spent long portions of the day providing live coverage without commercials. One of the Cedar Rapids stations, KCRG-TV 9, was particularly admirable in that it remained (with permission) in an evacuation area, functioned with back-up electricity, and at least once moved their set outside because it became quite warm in the building with no air-conditioning. The news staff spent long hours in front of the cameras and provided a great service to the community. The other “local” station, KGAN-TV 2, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, performed similarly, but with few local employees; they needed to bring in additional crews from other areas to provide the coverage.
But to argue that an admirable response to a crisis negates the need for localism is to miss the point.
Community Service Not Just for Times of Crisis
Local broadcasters should show the minimal level of service to the community that is required of them at all times — not just during a crisis. In exchange for the use of our public airwaves, broadcasters are required to operate their stations in the public interest. Despite this requirement, it appears that broadcasters can choose to provide any or no service to the community. They may choose, as these Iowa broadcasters did, to provide good local disaster coverage. But there is practically no enforcement for them to provide similar community service the other 51 weeks of the year.
In December, the FCC passed new rules that require broadcasters to air more local programming. To obtain a license renewal, the broadcaster’s main station would have to be located within the city of the broadcaster’s license. Additionally, the station would have to adopt community advisory boards, demonstrate local content, and staff the station during all broadcast hours. Broadcasters have been fighting these rules [2]since the FCC’s announcement.
Holding Media Accountable
Another aspect of localism is accountability. How does a community that feels it is not being served by a broadcast company redress that situation? Currently, there is almost no redress. Back in December 2005, my local group, Iowans for Better Local TV [2], filed a petition to deny [3] the renewal of the license of KGAN-TV 2, the Sinclair-owned station mentioned above.
Thirty months later, the FCC has taken no action on our petition. It was not that long ago that broadcast licenses were only good for 36 months. Now, in this era of license periods of eight years and “postcard renewals,” there appears to be no meaningful accountability by a broadcaster to the community they serve.
So yes, the “Flood of 2008,” as it is now being called, could possibly have been the Iowa Broadcasters’ “finest hour.” But more localism would require them to act in the public interest at other times as well.
Arron Wings is a charter member of Iowans for Better Local TV.