Mass Media: Media Ownership/Regulation

Until its final chapter, this book has much to offer those interested in (and concerned about) the current state of broadcast communication. Rather than just another analysis and criticism of failed programming, Ramey (a communication attorney and a former Washington, DC, policymaker) provides a detailed account of how things got the way they are. His subtitle tells it all. He describes how the Radio Act of 1927 and subsequent laws and regulations all state clearly that the airwaves belong to the people and that broadcasters have only a temporary license to use this public property. The process of undoing any meaningful regulation began with the Reagan administration in 1981 and culminated in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Having presented the problem, Ramey also offers a solution: the public should give up and let broadcasters go their unregulated way. As a sop to the "public interest, convenience, and necessity," Ramey suggests more support for public broadcasting and more antitrust prosecution. His flawed solution aside, Ramey provides an excellent history of what has gone wrong with broadcast regulation. Choice P.E. Kane