Opinion ID: 308173
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Commission Approval of Transfer

Text: 9 The Commission's Memorandum Opinion and Order 12 granting the transfer application was forthcoming on March 19, 1965. 13 This opinion, known as the Borst Decision, summarized the nature of the complaints received 14 opposing the Seminary's application. The Commission continued by expressing that, as a matter of policy, 10 [t]he Commission is wisely forbidden from choosing among applicants upon the basis of their political, economic or social views . . . As Mr. Justice Douglas stated: 11 The strength of our [broadcasting] system is in the dignity, resourcefulness and the intelligence of our people. Our confidence is in their ability to make the wisest choice. That system cannot flourish if regimentation takes hold. 15 12 The Decision noted that Dr. McIntire represented that his relationship with WXUR would be as that of a broadcaster and that management decisions would be left to three other members of the Seminary's Board who would constitute the Board of Brandywine. 16 Despite all of this the Commission did consider the basic fear of the application's opponents that the station would be under Dr. McIntire's influence and that it would not give full and fair treatment to divergent views on controversial issues as required by both standards of public interest and the Commission's fairness doctrine. 17 The Commission's ultimate conclusion was that a hearing on the transfer application was unnecessary because of the in-depth representations, contained in the application, to fully comply with the station's acknowledged obligations in the fairness arena. 18 13 The Borst Decision went to great lengths to reinforce and reiterate the transferee's duties and obligations under both the fairness doctrine and the personal attack corollary. The Commission took notice of Brandywine's written submission that equal opportunity would be afforded to opposing viewpoints on controversial public issues 19 but nonetheless felt constrained to 14 [s]pecifically direct attention to our ruling in Cullman Broadcasting Co., FCC 63-849 [requiring presentation of conflicting views at licensee expense if advocates willing to pay for broadcast time cannot be found] and to our personal attack principles (see Public Notice of July 1, 1964, Applicability of the Fairness Doctrine, Part E) the licensee is required to operate in accordance with these requirements, and unless immediately informed to the contrary, we take the licensee's representation to encompass these requirements. 20 15 The Commission expressed the view that Dr. McIntire's record of offering free response time for either an opportunity to debate some issue or respond to some attack [would] not suffice to discharge the fairness responsibilities of a licensee carrying the broadcasts in question. 21 16 The Commission made every effort to assuage the fears of Brandywine's opponents that WXUR would become a medium over which McIntire could express his personal views to the exclusion of the views of the listening public. The Commission reprinted the following detailed programming promise from the Brandywine application: 17 It will be the policy of the transferee to make time available on an equal and nondiscriminatory basis to all religious faiths. . . . In other words, the same terms and conditions will be applicable to all faiths . . . as will be applicable to the religious faith . . . [of] the transferee. . . . It will be the policy to make time available to religious faiths equally. . . . However, . . . a half hour will be available and utilized on Sundays . . . for an Interfaith Forum program, in which ministers or representatives of different faiths will be invited to participate in round-table discussions of religious principles and tenets as related to current social problems. 18 Every effort will be made to obtain varied participation from week to week to assure the greatest possible balance of views on the subjects of discussion. The transferee will invite the cooperation of recognized ministerial associations in the Greater Philadelphia area to present their recommendations as to participants and subjects of discussion on this program and in the event of failure to obtain such cooperation, the transferee will extend invitations to, and make sincere efforts to obtain participation by, individual churches and faiths in a manner which will assure, to the fullest extent possible, fair and equal representation of varying views. 22 19 The Commission granted Brandywine's application for transfer with one final warning to the Seminary broadcast group. 20 In reaching this determination, we have relied upon the specific representations by the transferee indicating awareness of a licensee's responsibilities. In any event, this grant is subject to the same conditions applicable to all broadcast grants . . . [including, among itemized conditions] . . . that [Brandywine] will abide by the requirements of the fairness doctrine (see [Fairness Primer]). 23 21 The new management began broadcast operations on April 29, 1965.