The head of the Federal Communications Commission has called on broadcasters to start the day with the Star Spangled Banner or the Pledge of Allegiance to celebrate the US's 250th birthday.
Brendan Carr made the recommendation when he launched the Pledge America Campaign, itself an adjunct to the Salute to America 250 Task Force launched by the Trump White House a year ago.
Carr's statement [PDF] notes: "Task Force 250 invites citizens to have a renewed love of American history, experience the beauty of our country, and ignite a spirit of adventure and innovation that will raise our nation to new heights over the next 250 years."
He took the opportunity to remind broadcasters of their "longstanding public interest obligations" and their "key role in educating, informing, and entertaining viewers and listeners all across America."
The Pledge America Campaign calls on them to "lend their voices in support... by airing patriotic, pro-America content that celebrates the American journey and inspires its citizens by highlighting the historic accomplishments of this great nation from our founding through the Trump Administration today."
Carr added: "I am calling on broadcasters to pledge to provide programming that promotes civic education, national pride, and our shared history."
How might they do this? Well, the Star Spangled Banner and Pledge of Allegiance are just for starters. Carr also suggested "short segments, or full specials specifically promoting civic education, inspiring local stories, and American history." And he suggested airing music by the nation's "greatest composers, such as John Philip Sousa, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, or George Gershwin."
John Philip Sousa's Portuguese father was born in Spain and his mother in Germany, while both Copland and Gershwin's parents were born in the Russian Empire. Ellington's grandparents were formerly enslaved.
Carr also suggested broadcasters provide daily "Today in American History" announcements, "highlighting significant events that took place on that day in history."
"I look forward to broadcasters showcasing its inspiring history by taking the Pledge and fulfilling their public interest mandate to serve the needs and interests of their local communities as America's 250th birthday celebration marches on," said Carr.
Notably, Carr didn't refer to public broadcasters. These have had their federal funding cut and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting voted to dissolve itself last month after losing more than $1 billion in support.
Quite how much quality programming Carr can expect to see delivered as a result of his clarion call is debatable. Quality TV, and even rubbish TV, takes time to produce.
Still, there's always AI. What better way to celebrate the birth of America and how far it's come than seeing a six-fingered John Hancock signing the Declaration of Independence, before running the copy through an AI content detector to discover the document is 98.51 percent generated by AI. ®
Source: The register