FCC alters U.S. cross-media ownership rules
By Leah McBride Mensching, Tuesday 18 December 2007 at 22:44 :: Media Ownership :: #996 :: rss
Members of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to overturn a ban and allow broadcasters in the 20 largest media markets in the nation to also own a newspaper.
Despite pressure from both sides of Congress to delay the vote, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin was able to push it through. Martin and two other Republicans voted in favour of overturning the 32-year-old ban, while the two Democrats on the commission voted against it.
Martin has support from President George Bush, who pledged to send back any action by Congress that would try to undo the FCC's vote, the Associated Press reported. On Monday, 25 senators sent Martin a letter stating that they would legislate against the FCC's action if the vote were to go through.
The cross-ownership ban was implemented in 1975, aiming to serve “the twin goals of diversity of viewpoints and economic competition,” with the FCC noting at the time that “it is unrealistic to expect true diversity from a commonly owned station-newspaper combination,” the AP reported.
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez wrote in a letter obtained by the AP Monday that “the current ownership rules are significantly outdated in the modern media marketplace ... (the FCC has) crafted changes that appropriately take into account the myriad of news and information outlets that exist today.” He also stated that the White House opposes “any other attempt to delay or overturn these revised rules by legislative means.”
Those who support the ban say although the number of news outlets have increased, there has been no corresponding increase in those who gather and produce the news, especially locally, according to the AP.
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