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Kerry on issues of interest to broadcasters

Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry sat with C-SPAN for a 35-minute interview aired Sunday and discussed a number of issues. Along the way, he answered questions about several issues which the broadcast community has been grappling with of late. For starters, it should probably come as no surprise that he toes the Democratic line when it comes to broadcast ownership consolidation.

The short answer is he's against it. When asked about the Senate vote of the Byron Dorgan (D-ND)/Trent Lott (R-MS) Resolution of Disapproval last fall, in which the body voted to repudiate the FCC's 6/2/03 ownership ruling, he quickly said, "I was 100% in favor of overturning the ownership rules."

"I think it's dangerous," he said. "I think you want broad ownership." He said that consolidation, "...runs counter to the foundations of our country," explaining the need to foster multiple and diverse news sources.

On the indecency front, he was unhappy with the Super Bowl half time show, and finds such programming inappropriate for broadcast programming, where children are present in the audience. He said it is necessary to protect free speech, but it is also appropriate to find a balance which respects the community values of viewers, noting that the Supreme Court has upheld such efforts.

However, he draws a line between that which comes generally over the air and that which consumers make the effort of subscribing to. As such, he opposes undue restriction on program content for cable or satellite services.

Kerry gave high marks to radio morning icon Don Imus, calling him an excellent and well-read interviewer, who gives his guests room to get their thoughts out over the air. He said he would certainly agree to continue being a guest on the I-man's program, even if he is successful in his bid for the White House.

Kerry also said he would be more accessible to the press than George W. Bush has thus far been. He pledged to hold at least one full-fledged press prime-time press conference a month, at least during his first year in office. In fact, he said he looked forward to the opportunity the office of President would afford him to make his case - - whatever it mway be at the time - - directly to the American people.