Red-headed city hobbit
That rule allowed for so many freely or reduced price produced public service shows on tv and radio that wouldn’t have been back then. Its not like we were all running podcasts, and that access was expensive. And the corporations got to call them public service and didn’t have to produce an alternative program.
Well, when they did have it in place the networks hid their dissenting opinions in off hours things same as you said. The rules were very loose, but it also allowed for some public service broadcasts and other local tv shows that wouldn’t have had airtime, rather than pay to produce the alternate opinion which led to some cool local shows and lore.
Before it was abolished in 1987, all media was required by the fairness doctrine to give information on both sides of a controversial issue, no matter the network, so long as they held a broadcast license.
BTW, what was his niche show about?