Re: [IRCA] FCC Again Loosens Media Ownership Concentration Rules

[Scott Fybush <scott@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Russ Edmunds wrote:
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071218/media_nm/mediaownership_fcc_dc

 From a radio point of view, this really isn't the headline out of 
today's FCC hearing. The real lead story is a whole package of new 
proposed regulation that the FCC will lay out in more detail in January.

Some of the pieces will include a proposed requirement that all stations 
staff their main studios 24/7, which sounds great in theory but has some 
serious logistical issues in practice. (Any of us who've admired the 
unique programming Bob Bittner does on WJIB 740 and WJTO 730 should 
realize that there's no way he could offer that service if he had to 
staff both stations' studios around the clock.)

There are other proposals in here that also look good on paper but would 
be a bear to implement. Anyone who remembers the old days of community 
ascertainment boards at radio stations knows what a farce that process 
often (usually? always?) was. Now the FCC's hoping to bring it back 
after 23 years. It'll be great for the lawyers. I can't imagine it'll do 
a thing for quality radio.

There's yet another proceeding out of the FCC today that seeks to 
prevent advertisers from refusing to place their ads on stations that 
cater to minority listeners. That's a distasteful practice, to be sure, 
but there are some serious First Amendment issues being stomped on with 
this proposal.

In the end, the whole meeting today (including the TV/newspaper 
crossownership piece that made all the headlines) will likely turn out 
to be moot. Congress has already made it clear that it intends to 
overturn any attempt the FCC makes to lift the crossownership ban, 
probably as soon as tomorrow. And the rest of the votes today were all 
compromises by the current chairman, Kevin Martin, to push the 
crossownership item through. They're likely to fade back into the 
woodwork once crossownership is overturned...or so pretty much every 
broadcast station owner I know is hoping.

(I'm hearing yelping and howling about some of the proposed new radio 
rules from both the very biggest groups and the very smallest of 
broadcasters.)

s
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