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Robert McChesney Quotes

Robert McChesney Quotes & Quotations
Name:
Robert McChesney
Type:
Critic
Nationality:
American

  • 1
    A far more sensible policy in this country, in my view, this wouldn't require a political revolution. It should be simply one station per owner. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 2
    Also, the commercial media in a superior position, really, to any other corporate lobby, because where would people hear about commercial media or corporate media criticism, where would they hear criticism of them other than in the commercial media? Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 3
    As the mainstream media has become increasingly dependent on advertising revenues for support, it has become an anti-democratic force in society. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 4
    Basically what they're saying is, if you want to be on TV, if you want to be a credible candidate, you've got to buy ads. And if you're not buying ads, you're not a credible candidate, we don't cover you. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 5
    Because what's going on now, and this applies mostly to television stations in the largest markets too, but TV stations basically are now the primary receivers of campaign spending. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 6
    But having said that, there's also a sea change in attitude towards media. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 7
    But having said that, what's happening with campaign finance reform and our political culture is devastating. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 8
    If you're running for reelection in the House of Representatives race, you know, it's very important to you that you be on fairly good terms with the local affiliates in the largest market in your area. I mean you don't want to antagonize them. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 9
    Local television news, on both radio and television, is so appalling. Makes print journalism look like the greatest stuff ever written. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 10
    Maybe if you and ten of your friends could pool your savings and borrow some money and actually buy some obscure station in Sonoma, and then take some chances and have some fun. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 11
    One side, profits go up, they own more and more, but the diversity, interest, creativity and quality of the programming goes way down. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 12
    So it's a much more difficult issue to organize around, because you can't get media at all to make your case. And that's where cases tend to be made politically. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 13
    So that what you tend to see is someone like a Rush Limbaugh, he's the classic case because he's the most successful, he didn't sort of like come out of his mother's womb with the highest ratings in the country. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 14
    So the competition isn't once you got the license, running the station; it's getting the license. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 15
    So the system we have in radio and television today is the direct result of government policies that have been made in our name, in the name of the people, on our behalf, but without our informed consent. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 16
    The commercial broadcasters have tremendous influence in Washington, D.C., for a couple of reasons. First, they're extremely rich and they have lots of money and they have had for a long time, so they can give money to politicians, which gets their attention. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 17
    The cost of congressional and presidential campaigns has been leaping every two or four years. I think this year it will be 60 percent more than 1996; well over twice as much as in 1992 in the presidential and congressional races. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 18
    The majority of this money goes to pay commercial broadcasters to run these ads, these TV spots, which are now the whole basis of campaigning. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 19
    The number one lobby that opposes campaign finance reform in the United States is the National Association of Broadcasters. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 20
    The public gets not one penny from them in return for those airwaves. Robert-McChesneyRobert McChesney
  • 21
    The whole process of getting licenses to broadcast, which took place decades ago, was done behind closed doors by powerful lobbies, and wealthy commercial interests got all the licenses with no public input, no congressional input for that matter. Robert-McChesney/">Robert McChesney
  • 22
    What I've found is that there is a tremendous interest in these issues, across the political spectrum, sort of left-right terms we used to describe people don't really hold here exactly. Robert-McChesney/">Robert McChesney
  • 23
    When the government allocates monopoly rights to frequency, and there are only a handful in each community, it's picking the winners in the competition. Robert-McChesney/">Robert McChesney
  • 24
    When the government picked companies and gave them monopoly rights to frequencies in San Francisco and Los Angeles and New York and Chicago, it was picking the winners of the competition; it wasn't setting the terms of the competition. Robert-McChesney/">Robert McChesney
  • 25
    You know, a left-winger, the barrier to success if you're on the left in commercial radio is a mile and a half higher than it is if you're on the right. Robert-McChesney/">Robert McChesney