FCC on track to repeal newspaper/broadcast crossownership rules (in large markets)

[T.L. Hughes 752]

In a report featured in the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday (November 6), the Federal Communications Commission is expected to approve a proposed change in its crossownership rules that would allow common management of newspapers and broadcast television or radio stations by the end of 2012. The issue is that the rule would only apply to the 20 largest U.S. media markets, leaving very few companies able to take any advantage of such a rule (News Corporation, Tribune Company and Cox Enterprises each own newspaper/broadcast combos within the top 20 markets: NewsCorp with the Post and the TV duopoly of WNYW and WWOR-TV in New York City, Tribune with the Times and KTLA in Los Angeles, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and WSFL-TV in Miami and the Tribune, WGN-TV and WGN AM radio in Chicago, and Cox with the Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV in Atlanta, all of whom are operated through waivers issued by the FCC).

 

Under the proposed rules, the largest newspaper/broadcast combo that would still require a waiver to operate would be Tribune's Hartford operation of the Courant and WTIC/WCCT (Hartford is the 30th largest U.S. television market according to Nielsen and therefore would be exempt from the rule). Media companies have stated that easing the crossownership blockade would allow newspapers and broadcast stations to share resources, therefore saving money. The rules have enough votes to pass and there is little opposition to the proposed rule change, compared to earlier attempts to loosen the newspaper/broadcast crossownership rules in 2003 and 2007.

 

Though the rule only covers the 20 largest markets, a few companies would prefer that the rule be repealed for all 210 markets, among them News-Press & Gazette Company CEO David Bradley, who prefers that the crossownership ban be taken off the books (NPG owns the St. Joseph News-Press and Fox affiliate KNPN-LD in St. Joseph, Missouri, that combo is exempt from the current rules due to regulations allowing low-power stations to be operated alongside newspapers without violating the rules or requiring waivers). In an interview with TVNewsCheck, Bradley said that should a rule be struck down for all markets "we could combine resources and provide better overall in-depth coverage of what’s going on in the community. It's better to have one strong operation versus two operations that have limited resources."

 

Here's a question for anyone who reads this post: would it'd be a good idea for newspaper/TV combos to be allowed in markets large and small, and do you think it might help print media, which is undergoing a nadir in the digital age?

[CircleSeven 1944]

I think you should see this video. This is a Bill Moyers interview with Senator Bernie Sanders (I, VT). He explaines about how he's in opposition about the FCC wanting to relax the rules for these big conglomorates to acquire the local print media, while owning television, radio and all the like.

 

Moyers even mentions about that 'familiar company' in Maryland.