Home / Full timeline / The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denies the Alabama Educational Television Commission renewals of licenses for all eight of its television stations because of racial discrimination.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denies the Alabama Educational Television Commission renewals of licenses for all eight of its television stations because of racial discrimination.
1975 (Jan 8)
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denied the Alabama Educational Television Commission renewals of licenses for all eight of its television stations because of racial discrimination. The FCC said that the Alabama Commission had, between 1967 and 1970, failed to meet the high standards it expected broadcast stations to maintain. It found that the Alabama Commission had followed a racially discriminatory policy in its overall programming practices and through its "pervasive neglect” of Alabama's Black population. Furthermore, it had failed to adequately meet the needs of the public it served. Still, the FCC said the commission could continue to operate the television stations on an interim basis pending a final determination of its future. The denial of license renewal was one of the FCC's most severe and most rarely used actions.
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.