Quote:
Originally posted by HarmlessRabbit
No, they can't. Public airwares are a shared resource tightly regulated by the FCC. In exchange for a license to those airwares, TV stations agree to a whole host of government rules.
Not so long ago, for example, there were clear "equal access" laws for political campaigns. That has mostly gone away now, but the idea that a TV station can air whatever they want, when they want is far from the truth.
But anyway, this censorship had the opposite effect. The ratings for the broadcast were much higher than the network thought they would be. So in reality Sinclair took what looks to be a non-political broadcst (to me) and turned it into a big win for the anti-Bush crowd.
Not exactly what he wanted, I think. 
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I never said they didn't agree to certain rules. I said they have the right to air or not air things for ALMOST any reason they choose. They can choose to air Janet Jackson baring breasts or whatever they like so long as they are willing to face the consequences. This is not censorship but I don't feel like getting into that whole debate since it's been discussed on more occassions than I care to think about here at TFP.