Religious Broadcasting in America: A Regulatory History and Consideration of Issues

The purpose of the research gathered in this thesis was to bring together an ordered history of federal regulation of religious-affiliated broadcast licensees and to consider the issues raised in such regulation.

The work consists of (1) a detailed analysis of the thirty-five sectarian licensees that were in operation during the regulatory period of the Federal Radio Commission from 1927 to 1934; (2) a chronology of cases involving sectarian licensees considered by the Federal Communications Commission from 1934 to 1976; (3) a discussion of landmark cases relating to the issues of private property, limitation of access, freedom of speech, and such contemporary issues as discrimination on the basis of religion, qualifications for FM reserved channels, and the implications of the Fairness Doctrine for sectarian licensees; (4) an in-depth discussion of the Milam-Lansman Petition of 1974; and (5) a consideration of issues not significantly resolved in the history of broadcast regulation.

Research involved complete examination of all 110 volumes of FCC Reports, as well as examination of all extant publications of the Federal Radio Commission.