FCC Takes Step To Change Media Ownership Rules

Martin has made no secret of his distaste for the current rules
Kevin Martin, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, has reignited the bitter debate over media ownership rules, prompting howls from watchdogs worried about media conglomerates growing too large. At the FCC’s meeting on Wednesday, the agency issued a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,” the first step in lifting the rule barring the cross-ownership of newspapers and broadcast outlets, and easing the limit on how many stations a media company can own in any one market. The timing is no accident. Martin has made no secret of his distaste for the current rules.
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Protect Independent TV, News, and Radio. Stop Media Consolidation!
Big media companies are lobbying the FCC to rewrite our media ownership rules, which currently limit how many local media outlets a given company can control in every town. Vying for more market control, these conglomerates want to overturn current protections, particularly the rule on “newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership.” This rule prevents companies from owning the major daily newspaper and one or two broadcast TV stations in the same town. If ownership limits are eliminated, ONE media company could potentially own the major daily newspaper, at least EIGHT radio stations and THREE or more television stations in the same town. When big media companies own most of the radio, TV, newspapers in town, the media outlets drift away from serving local needs and air fewer local voices and opinions. Join Consumer’s Union in telling the FCC to stop media consolidation! Be part of the official record, and urge the FCC and Congress to ensure that we have reasonable media rules that ensure diversity, localism and competition.
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