Is Camping's Family Radio operating in the public interest? Should their licenses be challenged?

Harold Camping's widely publicized prediction of the end of the world may not rise to the level of a deliberate hoax punishable by the FCC.

http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/broadcast/hoaxes.html

But is Family Radio's use of the public airwaves consistent with a broadcaster's obligation to operate in the public interest?

The 1st Amendment alone is not justification for anyone to be granted or allowed to retain a radio broadcasting license. Operating licenses are subject to comparative review of the qualifications of those who seek to obtain and hold them.

Just because an opinion is genuinely held and earnestly expressed (or is disclaimed as entertainment only) does not mean that a licensee should not be held accountable for its dissemination.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Radio

Unsurprisingly, Camping's personal profile at Wikipedia has been under attack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Camping

Then again I don't think ANY religious leader is really acting in the public interest.

If a magic spaceman and a religious building really come before the people, regardless of how much you help the people, then your true values don't lie with the people.

AAAAAAAAA-MEN!!!

the Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush-Obama era FCC doesn't give a shit.

No broadcaster has lost their license for not serving the public interest in over 30 years. RKO nearly lost their license for WOR-TV in the late 80's before Senator Bill Bradley blocked the FCC by writing a bill that forced the FCC to approve of any license transfer of a VHF station into a state which had no VHF station licensed to it. (New Jersey was the only state that fit that criteria at the time.) RKO moved WOR to New Jersey as WWOR-TV, and the FCC had to approve it.

And when you get his license revoked you can move to bigger targets like FOX radio and all those radio stations that broadcast Slant Head, Rushbot and the like.

Except for NPR, non- profit community stations and a smattering of good commercial stations.

Most talk stations are just soapboxes for hateful spew dusters like Rush and Savage Weiner.

Have you seen the crap on non religious stations? Do you actually believe all those products they sell are 100% legitimate. Including the infomercials?

All a station has to do to operate in the public interest and notice I said STATION not NETWORK is provide a small amount of public interest broadcasting and log their viewer feedback.



I am not in favor of setting a standard of "I don't like their bullshit message" for licensing.

Anyone who thinks he/she can restrict that freedom because of content is an authoritarian, IMO.