FCC Seeks Info from WHNT About 60 Minutes Blackout

FCC SEEKS INFO FROM WHNT ABOUT 60 MINUTES BLACKOUT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin directed the Commission to send a letter of inquiry to WHNT-TV Huntsville (AL) following complaints that its blackout of most of a 60 Minutes story might have been politically motivated rather than the technical glitch the station insisted it was. But he assured reporters that it was part of the standard complaint-response process. In a briefing with reporters, Martin said the letter came in response to about 20 complaints, and it was similar to other letters sent concerning indecency complaints. Asked what the FCC would do if it concluded that the incident it was politically motivated, Martin said he would not speculate on what did or didn't happen.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6538026.html?rssid=193

* Martin Wants to Know Why ’60 Minutes’ Segment Didn't Air in Alabama
On Monday, FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps questioned whether the incident was an example of a station failing to serve the public interest, akin to 1950s-era Southern stations not airing network reporting about the civil rights movement. “The FCC needs to find out if something analogous is going on here,” he told a Benton Foundation forum. “Was this an attempt to suppress information on the public airwaves or was there really a technical problem? “If the decision was intentional, who made the decision on this? The FCC needs to get to the bottom of this.” He called for the FCC to issue a formal inquiry into the incident.
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/03/martin_wants_to_know_why_60_mi.php

* FCC to Ask TV Station Why It Halted Program
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120465160452710551.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace

* FCC looks into "60 Minutes" blackout
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0554835920080305