Diane Disney Says Fairness Doctrine Repeal Hurt Nonprofits

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Diane Disney, a professor at Penn State and former Clinton administration official, says one result of the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine was "the nonprofit sector's effective loss of access to the public airwaves." As evidence she cited a the decline in broadcast and cable PSAs, which she said now represent one-half of one percent of TV time, are "disproportionately placed" in overnight time periods and tend to be nationally focused." Disney conceded that nonprofits now have an alternative means of seeking funding via the Internet, and that they still need broadcast and cable help to let viewers know their Web sites exist. "Most of us don't just sit around surfing the Web hoping to find a nonprofit we can send money to," she said, adding that it was broadcast's reach that was key.


Diane Disney Says Fairness Doctrine Repeal Hurt Nonprofits