Howard Stern is finally getting a mea culpa from Michael Powell, the man that drove him to satellite radio.
Powell, the former FCC chairman who levied massive fines on Howard Stern for perceived indecencies on his terrestrial radio broadcast, has changed his tune when it comes to censoring live radio and television.
In 2004, Powell voted that broadcasters could be fined for single "fleeting expletives"--unplanned instances of obscenity utterances. Howard Stern Show fans remember what followed--a series of broadcasts with a censor on the kill button that drove Stern to flee to the land of the free--satellite radio.
Now, Powell says his vote was a mistake:
"if I were voting again, I would have dissented. I've always been deeply troubled by the way the First Amendment changes when you change channels."
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to start hearing arguments Tuesday in a case that states it's unconsitutional for the FCC to impose fines on some broadcasts and not others.
Howard Stern will probably have a few choice words when he hears Powell's quote, so the bureaucrat turned lobbyist had best cover his ears if he doesn't want to get offended.
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