Radio and Television and Ethical Standards

Abstract

SINCE the Radio Act of 1912 the Federal Government through its various agencies has been attempting, within the framework of the American economic system, to regulate the radio industry so that the air waves are used for the public good. Such regulations are predicated on the proposition that the air waves belong to the people, that their number is limited by the nature of the radio spectrum itself, and that the use of these air waves by an individual or group for commercial broadcasting should be looked upon as a public trust and should be continued only as long as the daily schedule of broadcasts can show that the welfare of the general public is being served. The Radio Act of 1912 merely denied the right of any person to operate a radio station without a license from the Secretary of Commerce. The tremendous increase in the number of radio stations, the overlapping of radio signals, and adverse court decisions denying the Secretary of Commerce the right to assign frequencies, to regulate hours of broadcasting, to restrict the number of licenses issued, or even to prevent one station from using a frequency assigned to another station caused such confusion that in 1926 President Coolidge appealed to Congress to enact a comprehensive radio law. The Radio Act of 1927