Nbadan
06-22-2006, 07:59 PM
For all practical purposes, OAI (the Faux News of SA) already runs KMOL-TV, now some Republicans want to make it easier for news conglomerates to own more of the media in the same markets...
FCC kicks off review of media ownership rules
By Jeremy Pelofsky
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission Wednesday launched what is expected to be a fierce battle over whether to relax media ownership restrictions on television, radio and newspapers, a move that could spark consolidation in the industry.
A top priority of Republican FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's agenda has been to allow a company to own a newspaper and a radio or television station that serve the same market, and he repeated his desire to revamp the 1975 ban preventing such cross-ownership.
"The commission should take into account the competitive realities of the media marketplace while also ensuring the promotion of the important goals of localism and diversity," Martin, a Republican, said at the FCC's monthly open meeting....
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The two Democrats on the five-member commission criticized the new effort. And consumer advocates have already formed alliances to lobby against making consolidation easier, arguing it would squeeze out independent voices and reduce local content.
"Even under the old rules, consolidation grows, localism suffers and diversity dwindles," said FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat. "If we make the wrong decision, our communities will suffer and our country will suffer."...
CNN (http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0002/20060621/1929831914.htm)
Not that it matters in SA because the Hearst Corp, current owners and operators of the Express-News, and KMOL are both so wing-nut I wouldn't be surpised if they coolaborated on news stories already.
FCC kicks off review of media ownership rules
By Jeremy Pelofsky
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission Wednesday launched what is expected to be a fierce battle over whether to relax media ownership restrictions on television, radio and newspapers, a move that could spark consolidation in the industry.
A top priority of Republican FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's agenda has been to allow a company to own a newspaper and a radio or television station that serve the same market, and he repeated his desire to revamp the 1975 ban preventing such cross-ownership.
"The commission should take into account the competitive realities of the media marketplace while also ensuring the promotion of the important goals of localism and diversity," Martin, a Republican, said at the FCC's monthly open meeting....
---
The two Democrats on the five-member commission criticized the new effort. And consumer advocates have already formed alliances to lobby against making consolidation easier, arguing it would squeeze out independent voices and reduce local content.
"Even under the old rules, consolidation grows, localism suffers and diversity dwindles," said FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat. "If we make the wrong decision, our communities will suffer and our country will suffer."...
CNN (http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0002/20060621/1929831914.htm)
Not that it matters in SA because the Hearst Corp, current owners and operators of the Express-News, and KMOL are both so wing-nut I wouldn't be surpised if they coolaborated on news stories already.