NEW YORK, July 21 (UPI) -- A coalition of groups led by Common Cause is asking TV stations to provide more coverage of local politics
The Public Interest Obligations Campaign hopes to convince news directors and station managers to devote at least two hours to coverage to issues during the weeks prior to the Nov. 2 election.
The campaign wants the public to pressure Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to require broadcasters to commit to more informative programming, before the government approves a new policy known as the "must-carry" rule.
"Using new digital technology, broadcasters can transmit up to six channels of programming where they now can only transmit one channel," said the organization on its Web site. "That's worth billions of dollars to them, and it's coming free from you, the American taxpayer. But broadcasters need one more big government favor -- a rule that requires cable companies to transmit all their digital programs over their cable systems."
The campaign said broadcasters no longer fulfill their traditional obligation to serve the public interest, citing research that found the majority of local TV newscasts in the weeks leading up to the 2002 election included no campaign coverage.
