Lawmakers Laud Radio During House Speeches

Several congressional lawmakers took to the floor of a mostly empty House chamber last week to prises radio and remind us all that most "radio and television stations are not monolithic coporations.: Rep Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said, “They are owned and run and managed by our friends and neighbors, the people that we see every day.”

Rep. Cramer recalled the night his family was trapped in their car after a sudden blizzard swept onto the High Plains with only “Mighty 790” KFGO-AM, Fargo, ND to keep them company and informed.

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) added his own tale of how radio was the lifeline as many as three million people evacuated as Hurricane Ike barreled down on the Gulf Coast. “What people were listening to in the car was local radio stations that were on the air broadcasting, not just the weather, but the traffic — that information was so vital,” Poe told his colleagues, adding, “The local folks, we certainly couldn’t exist without them.”

Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) revealed he started hanging around radio stations at age 15, and has worked off-and-on in radio ever since. He said radio is the “heartbeat of the community” but is increasingly under threat.  “We have got to be careful here in Washington,” Farenthold urged.  “We have got lots of stuff on our agenda here that could potentially adversely affect broadcasters.”

The comments from the House floor conincided with last week’s NAB State Leadership Conference, which brought 600 broadcasters to Washington.