Deck 10: Electronic Media Content

Question 1

Under federal law,if one political candidate is allowed to buy a commercial on a radio station,all opposing candidates must be granted free response time.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 required V-chip technology in new TV sets and,something even more controversial,a

A)government board of censors.
B)fee system for access.
C)voluntary ratings system.
D)tax on access to adult shows.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In 2000 the federal Court of Appeals ordered the repeal of two corollary rules of the Fairness Doctrine.Those rules were the

A)personal attack rule and political editorial rule
B)Zapple rule and Torricelli rule
C)hoax rule and access rule
D)sponsor ID rule and public-inspection rule

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Suppose a TV journalist officially declares his candidacy for a local public office.If the candidate keeps his job and appears on camera to report the news,this could cause the station to

A)lose its license for violation of the Zapple rule.
B)suffer sanctions for violation of the election laws against conflicts of interest.
C)lose civil lawsuits under the political editorial rule.
D)owe equal opportunities to the journalist's opponents in the campaign.

Question 5

In Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Assn.v.FCC the court upheld a law requiring that DBS services

A)must carry local broadcast signals.
B)may not compete with cable.
C)may not provide local broadcast signals.
D)must pay copyright royalties for every program they carry.

Question 6

Under the Children's Television Act,commercial time during children's programs is limited to

A)2 minutes per hour on weekends and 4 minutes on weekdays.
B)6 minutes per hour on weekends and 14 minutes on weekdays
C)10.5 minutes per hour on weekends and 12 minutes on weekdays
D)16 minutes per hour on weekends and 10 minutes on weekdays

Question 7

The Communications Act requires that broadcasters provide reasonable access to candidates for federal office.How did CBS,Inc.v.FCC in 1981 help clarify the meaning of this access requirement?

Question 8

Much of the content regulation of cable TV has been intended to

A)help cable become a financially stable industry.
B)protect consumers from hidden programming fees.
C)protect the image of cable operators.
D)protect the viability of local,over-the-air broadcasting.

Question 9

For purposes of the equal opportunities rule,which of the following would most likely qualify as a "use" of broadcast time?

A)When a candidate appears on a TV variety show.
B)When a candidate is interviewed during a TV newscast.
C)When a candidate participates in a televised debate with other candidates.
D)When a friend of a candidate appears on screen and voices his endorsement of the candidate.

Question 10

In 1990 the FCC conducted a surprise audit of TV stations and concluded that

A)most stations were regularly violating the equal opportunities rule.
B)many stations were secretly violating the one-to-a-market rule.
C)almost all stations had violated the personal attack rule within the previous year.
D)candidates were often paying more for commercials than was necessary under the lowest-unit-rate requirement.

Question 11

Based on findings in a 2007 FCC report,the agency urged Congress to ban

A)excessively violent content.
B)soap operas with sexual simulations.
C)commercials for high-calorie foods.
D)televised film scenes that show smoking.

Question 12

In 1987 the FCC abandoned the core of its controversial Fairness Doctrine,but many in Congress vowed to bring it back.What were the two basic requirements that the doctrine imposed upon broadcasters?

A)To cover politics fairly,and to give equal time to all candidates for office.
B)To provide reasonable access to nonprofit groups,and to charge fair rates for that access.
C)To devote reasonable time to public issues,and to provide contrasting views on the issues.
D)To identify all commercial sponsors,and to refrain from editorial endorsements of products.

Question 13

Is the First Amendment status of cable TV different than broadcast? Explain.

Question 14

An interesting First Amendment issue arose when,in the 1992 cable act,Congress authorized cable operators to screen out "indecent" material on their PEG channels.Describe the issue and how it was resolved by the federal appellate court.