We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
July 19, 1944
FRANK MULLEN LANDS ONE ON THE FCC CHIN
In a scholarly and carefully prepared address on the "American System of Broadcasting", Frank E, Mullen, Vice-President and General Manager of the National Broadcasting Company at New York University Summer Radio Workshop, landed a stingaree on the chin of the Federal Communications Commission. Using his talk to the stud¬ ents as a sounding board, Mr, Mullen warned the American listening public to be quick on the trigger in protesting against anything that smacked of censorship of radio by the Government, The FCC continuously cries to high heaven that it has no power of censorship but Mr, Mullen let the public in on the little secret of the indir¬ ect pressure which the Commission can exert on radio programs through its power to license broadcasting stations,
Mr, Mullen said a logical approach to a study of the American System of Broadcasting would be to answer two questions: First, "What makes it a system?" and second, "What makes it American?" Mr. Mullen also raised and answered questions with regard to the limitation of frequencies, national networks, FM, television, sup¬ port of advertisers, and noncommercial public service.
Most significant, however, was the speaker's warning to the public not to let the wool be pulled over its eyes on censorship.
"The public should give broadcasters every encouragement to exercise complete freedom in their choice of program material, and should be quick to protest against any evidence of government pres¬ sure on radio program policies", Mr. Mullen declared. "We should be constantly mindful that freedom of radio is inseparable from all our other traditional freedoms of speech, of worship, of press and of peaceable assembly. In every city and country seized by the dicta¬ tors of Europe, the capture and control of radio facilities has been practically the first act of aggression. Suppression of the other freedoms has immediately followed. Nowhere in the world where radio is enslaved will yoq find speech or a press that is free,
"Most of us never stop to think that ours is the only country in the world in which radio programs are not under govern¬ ment control. Yet, our lack of concern on this score is in itself a source of potential danger. It is apt to make us blind to encroach¬ ments on the freedom of radio which should serve as warning signals. For while we in the United States do not have direct censorship of programs, the very fact that station licenses are issued, and can be revoked, by a government bureau makes possible a form of censorship that is no less effective for being indirect.
1