Heinl radio business letter (Jan-June 1944)

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4/7/44 of talking about freedom of speech, let*s telk about fairness fairness from first, the actual operators of the radio stations of tne country fairness of the listening public and fairness, yes, of the business world that uses radio as medium of advertising. ”It is ray sincere Judgment, first, that radio — ~ with a very, very few exceptions — has handled their radio programs in a mighty fair, clean way. If they had not in, say, the ten year period Just past, they would not now be on the air, for our American people have a way of doing away with any concern that does not treat them fairly. They Just do not patronize that concern and it goes out of business, ’’So, quickly, the complete answer is that radio as a whole has been fair or there would not now be radio, as we know it, in the good old U.S.A. "I say definitely that the listening public will regulate radio in an American way. They will regulate it by the simple mechanical movement of turning off the dial if they don’t like what is offered to them, ^ Mr, Seldes said: "A few months from now we will be enjoying the great American excitement of a presidential campaign. On the air you will hear the candidates and their partisans ~ you will expect from them a one-sided story, "On another kind of program you will get news about all the candidates, interpreted without partisanship. "As far as the Columbia Broadcasting System goes, you will not get a third kind of program the program that colors the news in order to influence the election. If all the newscasters at CBS or for that matter all the officers of the company favor one candidate, you will never know it from any CBS broadcast, nor will you ever be compelled to listen to the political preferences of any sponsor of a news program. That is the accepted CBS policy and our news staffwould consider it against their professional honor to use a news-analysis period for propaganda purposes. "We think that a broadcasting system must make available to the public all significant points of view on questions of general interest. In order to do this, and olay fair among opponents, we always set aside time for many-sided discussions of controversial subjects. This time is not for sale. We make it available under the only terms we know which prevent the man with a million dollars from blanketing a poorer opponent by the sheer power of money. Bias meets bias on equal terras, " Mr, Kaltenborn concluded with: "To me freedom of the press and freedom of speech on the air are foundation stones of American political freedom. My instinct is to oppose all laws, edicts, rules or regulations which deny or cripple that freedom. 9