Remember it comes down to money. That said, the fundi right has figured this out too. When they get upset, they make their voice heard so it won't happen again. At some point the networks have been "inundated" by calls from fundies so now they know the fundies are watching...

The last time the Foundation attempted to buy TV advertising, its paid ad was turned down by all but three stations in a nationwide attempt, with similarly discouraging response by radio stations.

Is it any wonder the progressive movement has had such difficulty getting off the ground in the face of media censorship this pervasive?

The six commercial broadcast networks are not the only choices available to the majority of Americans any more.

True. But that doesn't mean that they're not using a public resource granted to them by the government to disseminate their message, and as such, they should make an effort to treat different views equally.

Maybe we can get Holocaust Denial, space alien crop circle stories, the efficacy of Astrology, the correctness of psychics, the healing power of magnets, and all other kinds of crackpot notions out there whenever some astronomy or physics show airs on the Discovery Science Channel.

The Discovery Science Channel, however, is delivered by cable. They're not using public spectrum the way the broadcast networks are, so they have no obligation to associate with anyone they don't want to.

In any case, I wasn't arguing that TV stations should be forced to give equal time to all topics in their on-air programming. Rather, they should be unbiased in how they sell their commercial time. Personally, I wouldn't mind if astrologers and other crackpots bought commercial time during science shows. Let them waste their money; they're not going to get many clients out of it and they'll be funding real science in the bargain.

One of the clauses of the First Amendment is Freedom of Association, and it seems to me that is meaningless unless there is a freedom of "disassociation." No one should be forced, under the color of authority that is the state, to associate with someone they don't want to be around, especially if they are not receiving government money. Now, do the networks receive corporate welfare? Almost certainly yes. But so does every large corporation, some of which are doing far more damage than not airing a commercial that most people will simply TiVo over anyway. We should be going after them first, before worrying about small potatoes like this.

I would be very nervous about any kind of "equal time" law, because it would almost certainly be a wedge to get creationist (the young and flat-earth variety) and ID nonsense into science curriculum as merely "teaching the controversy." Maybe we can get Holocaust Denial, space alien crop circle stories, the efficacy of Astrology, the correctness of psychics, the healing power of magnets, and all other kinds of crackpot notions out there whenever some astronomy or physics show airs on the Discovery Science Channel. Bleahhh. No thanks.