In 2005, Howard Stern famously left AM/FM behind to take his talk radio show to Sirius due in part to censorship concerns and restrictions the FCC put on the medium.
However, less than 20 years later, could one make the case that AM/FM radio — and more specifically news/talk radio — is the last bastion of free speech?
The FCC cracked down on terrestrial radio in 2004 after the infamous Justin Timberlake-Janet Jackson incident during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVIII. That increased scrutiny led Stern to depart.
Now, there hasn’t been a similar situation in recent years. However, other mediums and platforms — including social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube — have seen similar pushes. Not to ban things deemed indecent, but rather a limit on what is and isn’t acceptable according to each’s terms of service.
YouTube has received the lion’s share of criticism from news/talk radio professionals due to the symbiotic nature the medium had with the video platform. The outlet — owned by Google — received harsh pushback from the conservative media community for its quick trigger to remove those who questioned or outright pushed back against the COVID-19 vaccine, leading to many companies and creators moving to competitor Rumble.
Logically, it would be easy to view YouTube as a quasi “Wild Wild West”, as far as content goes. Conceivably, anything (within reason) would be allowable on the platform, who few restrictions on content and its moderation.
But that is no longer the case, with Rumble alleging it holds that place in the video-sharing world.
However, there is a deep irony that a medium — AM/FM radio — is regulated by the federal government but appears to be more open to free speech than those outlets not governed at all.
“It is backwards, in my opinion,” Salem Radio Network host “Officer” Brandon Tatum told Barrett News Media last month. “I understand why, to a certain degree, but it is kind of weird that every platform isn’t open enough where you can say whatever you want to say. We live in America, you know, you have the First Amendment.
If you’re going to be a communicative platform for people, it would behoove you to allow people to say whatever they feel, and if they’re wrong, let people challenge them on being wrong.”
Nationally syndicated host Michael Berry agreed.
“There has never been — in an interview — a question that I hadn’t ever thought of, before that one,” Berry said when asked if the talk radio was more open to free speech than an unregulated platform.
The Houston-based host agreed with the idea that, despite FCC regulations, talk radio was, in fact, more flexible in its free speech capabilities than other mediums.
Tatum shared that while he understands that social media platforms aren’t government-regulated, they’re also not government-run entities, either, making them free to operate as they wish.
“The censorship on social media is asinine to me. I get it. Some of these social media companies are private businesses. They exercise the right to put whatever policy in place that they want,” Tatum said. “Everybody, to sign on to these social media platforms, knowingly or unknowingly have to sign at least the terms and conditions to say that they’re going to restrict you if they feel like it. So it’s something that I understand.
“I know I’m disappointed that is the reality of it. But you know, in the time that we live in, you have to just be mindful of being strategic about the way you communicate,” the talk radio host continued. “On YouTube, I just can’t say certain things. But I’m still going to communicate within their policy so I can still get the word out there.”
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
