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FCC voted in favor of further media-ownership changes

E

easttxtv

http://www.cnbc.com/id/22313688

The Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to loosen media ownership restrictions in the 20 biggest U.S. cities, despite objections from consumer groups and a threat by some senators to revoke the action.

The FCC voted 3-2, along party lines, to ease the 32-year-old ban on ownership of a newspaper and broadcast outlet in a single market.

In addition, the FCC action exempted 36 newspaper-broadcast ownership combinations that had been grandfathered under the previous rule. It also exempted six ownership applications that were pending before the agency.
 
Gee...won't Tribune be loving this one? We already have a monopoly with them here in Hartford/New Haven: The Hartford Courant newspaper, WTIC-TV/DT (FOX) channel 61/D 31 of Hartford and WTXX-TV/DT (CW) channel 20/D 12 of Waterbury. :(

OK...we're market #29, but I think this will still affect them.
 
easttxtv said:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/22313688

The Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to loosen media ownership restrictions in the 20 biggest U.S. cities, despite objections from consumer groups and a threat by some senators to revoke the action.

The FCC voted 3-2, along party lines, to ease the 32-year-old ban on ownership of a newspaper and broadcast outlet in a single market.

In addition, the FCC action exempted 36 newspaper-broadcast ownership combinations that had been grandfathered under the previous rule. It also exempted six ownership applications that were pending before the agency.
Click to expand...

A step in the right direction. Historically, some of the best radio and TV stations in the country were started and operated by newspapers. Newspaper owners were mostly local and already deeply involved in their communities and committed to local news coverage. The quality of the radio and TV stations and its programs reflected on the newspaper and newspaper owners had this as a strong incentive to maintain quality.

When the newspaper industry fell on hard times, radio and TV stations kept newspapers alive and viable. Since the FCC disallowed most newspaper-radio-TV combinations, most cities have lost newspapers and most cities are left with one newspaper monopolies. Many remaining newspapers have been sold to non-local corporate owners, like Gannett. Very similar to what companies like Clear Channel have done in radio, corporate McPapers have become uniform and pre-packaged with a pronounced dumbing down of content. Again, all a result of a short-sighted regulatory decision some 30 years ago.

Granted, if this ruling results in combinations between the Clear Channels and Gannetts, it will be a bad thing. If it results in profitable local ownership and support for struggling newspapers, it will be a good thing. This is a radio and TV board. Radio and TV needs strong newspapers. Broadcasters don't really cover local news beyond getting news releases and listening to police scanners. News gets covered and uncovered by newspaper reporters and then it goes on the wire (or newspaper website) where radio and TV stations can use the information to get pictures or sound. But broadcasters seldom get stories; newspapers do.
 
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