INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE NINETY-SECOND CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H.R. 8627, H.R. 8628 (and related bills) BILLS TO REGULATE THE USE OF COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA AUG 1971 Printed for the use of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce 64-284 O U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1971 TY DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE HARLEY O. STAGGERS, West Virginia, Chairman TORBERT H. MACDONALD, Massachusetts JOHN JARMAN, Oklahoma JOHN E. MOSS, California JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan PAUL G. ROGERS, Florida LIONEL VAN DEERLIN, California J. J. PICKLE, Texas FRED B. ROONEY, Pennsylvania DAVID E. SATTERFIELD III, Virginia W. S. (BILL) STUCKEY, JR., Georgia WILLIAM L. SPRINGER, Illinois ANCHER NELSEN, Minnesota HASTINGS KEITH, Massachusetts JAMES T. BROYHILL, North Carolina TIM LEE CARTER, Kentucky FLETCHER THOMPSON, Georgia JOHN Y. MCCOLLISTER, Nebraska Anderson, Hon. John B., a Representative in Congress from the State Beck, Lowell, executive director, Common Cause.... Bennett, Hon. Charles E., a Representative in Congress from the State Brown, Edmund G., Jr., secretary of state, State of California_ Broyhill, Hon. James T., a Representative in Congress from the State Burch, Hon. Dean, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission__ Dellenback, Hon. John, a Representative in Congress from the State Edmondson, Hon. Ed, a Representative in Congress from the State of Gardner, Timothy P., Common Cause__ 95 Goodman, Julian, president, National Broadcasting Co., Inc-- 167 Hargrove, Wade H., executive director and general counsel, North 258 Howell, John, publisher, Warwick Beacon, Warwick, R.I_- Johnson, Wallace H., associate deputy attorney general, Department Mullen, William, general counsel, National Newspaper Association___ Murphy, Hon. John M., a Representative in Congress from the State Statement of-Continued Serrill, Theodore, executive vice president, National Newspaper Stanton, Dr. Frank, president, Columbia Broadcasting System---- Wasilewski, Vincent T., president, National Association of Broad- Widnall, Hon. William B., a Representative in Congress from the State Page 205 147 44 246 74 Wright, Hon. Jim, a Representative in Congress from the State of 59 Additional material submitted for the record by Anderson, Hon. John B., a Representative in Congress from the State Brown, Edmund G., Jr., secretary of state, State of California : Exhibit A, letter dated August 28, 1970, to major California TV 131 133 Letter dated June 18, 1971, from Commissioner Nicholas Johnson 271-299 Memorandum concerning an approach to revision of section 315 Appendix B, a five-point program for election reform__ Udall, Hon. Morris K., a Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona: Campaign spending totals for selected years.. List of Members of Congress subscribing to campaign reform Voter's time allocations in selected metropolitan areas--- ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTED AT THE HEARINGS American Broadcasting Cos., Inc., Everett H. Erlick, group vice president and general counsel. Columbia Broadcasting System, Dr. Frank Stanton, president. Common Cause: Beck, Lowell, executive director. Gardner, Timothy P. Federal Communications Commission: Burch, Hon. Dean, chairman. Korn, Alexander, economic analyst. Justice Department: Johnson, Wallace H., associate deputy attorney general. Nichols, William, legislative counsel. National Association of Broadcasters, Vincent T. Wasilewski, president. National Broadcasting Co., Inc., Julian Goodman, president. National Committee for an Effective Congress, Mrs. Susan B. King, Washington director. National Newspaper Association : Howell, John, publisher, Warwick Beacon. Mullen, William, general counsel. Serrill, Theodore, executive vice president. North Carolina Association of Broadcasters, Wade H. Hargrove, executive director and general counsel. POLITICAL BROADCASTING-1971 TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1971 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE OF COMMUNICATIONS AND POWER, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to notice, in room 2123, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Torbert H. Macdonald (chairman) presiding. Mr. MACDONALD. The hearing will come to order. This morning, the Subcommittee on Communications and Power begins hearings on bills before it which would regulate the use of communications media by candidates for elective public office. It was just 1 year ago that this subcommittee began hearings on the same subject. On the basis of those hearings, the subcommittee drafted legislation which was introduced by myself and every member of the subcommittee, on a bipartisan basis. Under our subcommittee bill: (1) The "equal time" provisions were repealed for presidential and vice presidential candidates in general elections, (2) broadcasters were to charge candidates for public office their lowest unit rate for the use of the airways, and (3) reasonable limits were placed on the amounts that major candidates could spend for broadcast time in primary and general elections. This legislation was reported unanimously to the full committee from the subcommittee. The full committee reported it to the House, with only one vote against it and without amendment. It was passed by the House, again without amendment (although a number were offered), by a rollcall vote of 272 to 97, clearly on a bipartisan basis. In conference with the Senate, the only change made in our subcommittee's bill was the date on which it was to take effect. The conference report was adopted in the House by a rollcall vote of 242 to 112, and in the Senate by a vote of 60 to 19. On October 12, 1970, despite all the bipartisan efforts and support demonstrated in the House and in the Senate, the President vetoed the bill, complaining that "it plugged only one hole in a sieve" as it discriminated against the broadcast industry. He further indicated that all other advertising media should be included. Therefore, I have introduced H.R. 8628 to meet the avowed objections of the President as to discrimination against the broadcast media. This bill limits expenditures and gives candidates for Federal elective office the benefit of lowest unit rates in their use of newspapers and magazines as well as broadcasting time. This bill also repeals the qual-time provisions with respect to candidates for President and Vice President in general elections. (1) |