It only pertained to mandated public affairs programs...those programs were wiped away with 80s era "deregulation". It also pertained to a candidate's ability to purchase commercial time on a station. Stations were prohibited from charging separate rates or offering preferred time to one candidate and not offer similar time to another. It never pertained to talk programming that was considered "Entertainment" (and why rushbo still calls himself an "Entertainer"
or to news coverage. Stations, in good faith and concerned about expensive license challenges made sure they didn't ruffle political feathers...or they shied away from political programming and advertising altogether. That all got wiped away when ownership rules were changed with Telcom '96. Without concern about having a license challenged it opened the door for hate radio to proliferate to the obscene levels we see today.
Regarding cable...FCC rules and the "Fairness" Doctrine never applied.
With the rise of new mediums, the concept of fairness is further distorted as the individual now determines what's "fair" to them; gravitating to the websites and news channels that speak to them...or they tune out altogether. For a long time I favored reregulating the public airwaves but with the rise of Internet and satellite broadcasting the marketplace may have already decided the issue...
Cheers...
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