COM 2733- Intro to Digital Communications Blog #1: FCC and PR
The FCC.... If you are a PR Practitioner or work within the field of Public Relations, you probably work very closely with radio and TV stations. Who knows maybe you have done a radio interview or had your organization be featured as a shoutout on the morning news? Personally, radio interview are always my favorite. No need to worry about how I look and the ability to simply focus on the topic at hand.
Currently, I am taking an Intro to Digital Communications class where I have learned more about the FCC that I would like to share as I find it useful for PR Practitioners to learn more about a governing body they have to be mindful of as any broadcasted communication is created.
Now, as a PR Practitioner, you most likely have heard about the FCC before, but what does it stand for and what does it do?
What does it stand for?
FCC stands for the Federal Communications Commission.
What does the FCC do?
The FCC has 3 types of regulations it oversees: Content Regulation, Structural Regulation and Technical Regulation.
Content Regulation referring to the evaluation of to what extent the First Amendment protects the
Structural Regulations referring to approving buy-outs and mergers of communications companies (Think AT&T and DirecTV or T-Mobile and Sprint).
Technical Regulations referring to the assigning of radio frequencies.
What does that mean for a PR Practitioner?
Hopefully, as a PR Practitioner you never have to interact with the FCC directly for violating any regulations. But, this does mean that you will always have to keep in mind FCC guidelines and regulations when you are planning to create any media whether it be print, radio or TV. Make sure you don't curse on live television or radio or create lewd print media. In case you do ever happen to violate any of these regulations and are reported to the FCC, be prepared as a PR Practitioner to explain yourself... but let's hope that never happens.
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DeleteHello, I liked how you related Public Relations with Communication technologies of today. It was nice to see this perspective as someone who is studying Public Relations. I never heard of the FCC until this class so it was nice to see you break it down as well in this blog post.
ReplyDeleteShaca Sweet
I am impressed by your blog and how easy it is to navigate through it! It was a pleasure to read. Thank you for informing me on the FCC and its regulations. Since you work in the field yourself, I am curious to know if the FCC has ever reached out to the company you work in and why... do they ever reach out for check-ups? Or strictly if there is a violation?
ReplyDelete-Hannah Velez-Barjak
The FCC is an important tool in maintaining the regulation of public broadcast networks and systems for quality and safety control. This organizations mission is vital to ensuring guidelines are followed, so media sources or figures cannot get away with saying anything deemed inappropriate for certain viewers.
ReplyDeleteThe Federal Communications Commission always seemed to regulate their rules since change seems to be consistent with technology. Nowadays the most successful way of becoming famous is through social media, and PR Practitioner ensures their limits and rules. It’s interesting how the rules made by the FCC from decades ago are still relevant to the present to protect people’s images. It’s interesting to read that even when obeying the FCC rules, you are still protecting your “reputation” and the image you want to portray.
ReplyDeleteIsabella Lozada