In 1928, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) developed a voluntary code of ethics to reduce public criticism of radio. Critics claimed that these NAB efforts at self-regulation were either too lenient or so strong that they posed antitrust problems. Still others focused on the issue of accountability in the code making process, suggesting that changes over the years reflected political pressures more than concern for the public. An understanding of the code and its implementation indicates that all three observations had some truth to them. The code did not demand strict adherence of broadcasters but was very strict for nonbroadcasters such as advertisers. While the Code appears to have had some impact on broadcast content, impact that even many nonbroadcasters would rate positively, that impact was unenforceable and was ultimately designed to meet the interests of the broadcasters. In January 1983, the NAB disbanded its Code Authority Board, thereby ending the industry's organized self-regulation. The loss of the NAB's codes should not significantly alter the degree to which the public is protected. (HTH)