As if the FCC wasn't hard line enough in its policing of the
American airwaves, President Bush has appointed a conservative
Republican, Kevin Martin, to the top job at the media regulator following the departure of former boss Michael Powell. Conservative
Christian groups in America have welcomed the appointment, which says it all.
The consensus is that media rules will become even stricter in the
US, which means more big names will jump over to satellite delivered pay-per-view stations (TV and radio) which are governed by much slacker regulations. Which, some reckon, will in turn increase pressure on Congress to extend FCC rules to those pay-per-view stations (something that until recently most in the American media said would never happen).
Which will mean more controversial figures will probably jump to unregulated webcasting stations on the net. Which will mean the conservatives will try to extend regulations to the internet. Which means
... oh, I don't know, surely the big media moguls, who have generally accepted tighter FCC rulings so far, will have to snap eventually - Bush's tax breaks can't be that good.