FCC looks into "60 Minutes" blackout

[EFerrari]

FCC looks into "60 Minutes" blackout
2008-03-05

The Federal Communications Commission is investigating a mysterious signal loss by an Alabama CBS affiliate during a "60 Minutes" segment about the state's imprisoned former governor.

The news item concerned allegations that Don Siegelman, a Democrat who is serving a seven-year term for corruption, was railroaded by Republicans in the Justice Department.

FCC chairman Kevin Martin told reporters Tuesday that the agency received "20-odd" complaints about the 12-minute blackout of Huntsville station WHNT-TV's broadcast on February 24. The blackout occurred at the beginning of the broadcast of the 13-minute segment.

"I have instructed the staff to handle this like we do all the other complaints," said Martin, a Republican appointee. "I've asked the staff to send a letter (to the station) with the complaints attached, asking them to respond to it."

Despite claims that a GOP-engineered conspiracy caused the blackout, WHNT said it was caused by a malfunctioning receiver. The station later aired the entire Siegelman item twice.

The "60 Minutes" story suggested Republican politics was behind Siegelman's prosecution and imprisonment, a claim prosecutors deny. It's unclear what action the FCC can take as it has little say on content outside of indecency issues.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

http://dailynews.muzi.com/news/ll/english/10063051.shtml

:woohoo:

Direct link to Reuters story:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080304/tv_nm/dc_1

[loveable liberal]

1. What is the FCC going to do? Nothing.

Bush is in office. None of the federal agencies will do anything til they have support in prosecution from the executive branch. Bush's aim has always been to destroy the federal government and its ability to hold corporations accountable. He has accomplished this task. We may never have an active or even non-partisan group of federal agencies ever again.

[EFerrari]

4. I didn't think they would go this far.

For them to even go through the motions gives you an idea of how much pressure we've managed to build up.

[indepat]

6. The FCC will come down on them like ugly on a big ape

:D

[ThomWV]

2. Maybe he misspoke, maybe he meant to say there were 20,000 complaints about the odd occurrence

[L. Coyote]

3. That would be to CBS and the station. He refers to complaints to the FCC.

Not too late to go on record to FCC too.

[Echo In Light]

5. Whoops...keep repeating: Conspiracies don't exist...conspiracies don't exist

:sarcasm: