Public radio and television stations, rocked last month by reports that a Boston-based outlet was selling its mailing list to the Democratic and Republican National Committees, have been ordered by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to stop the practice immediately.
The CPB issued the order last Friday after its board adopted tough new guidelines governing mailing list activities amid unconfirmed reports that Rep. W. J. “Billy” Tauzin (R-LA), is developing legislation that would prohibit, or severely limit the list trading activities of public broadcast stations and other nonprofit groups.
There was no immediate comment from Tauzin, who chairs the House telecommunications subcommittee that approves government funds for publicly supported radio and television stations.
Neal Denton, Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers executive director, sees the possibility of nonprofit list-limiting legislation becoming a reality. “With Congress spending more time looking into the business of direct mail, including direct mail fund raising, telemarketing, Internet marketing, and privacy, it’s inevitable that some form of legislation will be introduced seeking to limit the nonprofit community’s list activities,” he said.
“The Direct Marketing Association is concerned about the possibility of a total legislative ban on the ability of nonprofit organizations to exchange, rent or sell their lists,” according to Richard A. Barton, senior vice president, Congressional Affairs.
The DMA views the rental, sale and trading of lists by nonprofit groups, including public broadcasting outlets for the purpose of contacting possible contributors and members as “a legitimate practice,” he added.
In the wake of the flap over WGBH’s admission that it improperly traded mailing-list names with both the Democratic and Republican National Committees, the CPB said its new guidelines were designed to protect the privacy of the donors and subscribers to public radio and television stations while guaranteeing that “no membership lists will be exchanged or rented to political campaigns or committees.”
Public radio and television stations are expressly prohibited form selling, renting, leasing, loaning, trading, donating, or exchanging their membership or donor lists with any “candidate for public office, committees or organizations that solicit funds for use in political campaigns.”
They are required to maintain active control over their membership and donor lists, including the sale and rental of their lists, and protecting the privacy of those who request it by offering an opt-out provision. Failure to follow the guidelines could affect the funding of public radio and television stations.
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