# Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC **395 U.S. 367 (1969).** The Supreme Court unanimously (8–0) upheld the [[FCC]]'s [[Fairness Doctrine]] and its personal-attack rules against a First Amendment challenge by a Pennsylvania radio station. Because broadcast frequencies are scarce, the Court reasoned, "it is the right of the viewers and listeners, not the right of the broadcasters, which is paramount." The decision tied the doctrine's constitutionality to spectrum scarcity. When cable and satellite ended that scarcity, the FCC cited the change in abandoning the doctrine in 1987. See [[Fairness Doctrine Repeal]] and [[Media Timeline]]. ## See also - [[Fairness Doctrine]] - [[First Amendment]] - [[Media Timeline]]