Anything about Censorship in the media, whether it's television, movies, radio, music, or newspaper has been controversial. Radio Censorship, however, has not been placed on the table for debate nearly as much as censorship for television and movies.
I've chosen a couple of excerpts from this article to briefly expand on the history of radio censorship: Censorship, Matthew Murray
This has been the general government standpoint on radio censorship since 1927:
Nothing in this act shall be understood or construed to give the Commission the power of censorship over the radio communications or signals transmitted by any radio station, and no regulation or condition shall be promulgated or fixed by the Commission which shall interfere with the right of free speech by means of radio communication.
So, historically there is no set standard for radio censorship. However, the emergence of self-censorship by the radio stations appeared after an outbreak of “radio vandalism,” in 1914 when "the Department of Commerce stipulated that amateur licensees must refrain from profane or obscene words:"
The one exception to the no-censorship clause of the Radio Act and the Communications Act is the following addendum: "No person within the jurisdiction of the United States shall utter any obscene, indecent, or profane language by means of radio communication." In other words, this was the one legislated area in which prior restraint was permissible: broadcasters airing obscene, indecent, or profane material could expect license revocation or nonrenewal. During its tenure, the Federal Radio Commission interpreted this clause broadly, arguing that because radio entered the home and was accessible by children, indiscretions in this area were unacceptable.
Of course, radio censorship is not equal with each individual radio station; different words and content are censored from some stations while they aren't censored from others. My complaint is not about whether radio should be censored, but rather that radio censorship is not consistent and uniform.
Check back for the next post, when I explain why I feel this way. Feel free to comment!
