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FCC Votes to Ease Ownership Restrictions

© F. Colin Kingston

In a vote of 3-2, the Federal Communications Commission has approved rules that ease the restrictions on the number of newspapers, radio and television stations one person, or corporation, can own in most major media markets. The vote was along party lines with the three Republican members of the FCC voting to approve the new rules and the two Democrats voting to oppose them.

The FCC, chaired by Michael Powell, son of Secretary of State Colin Powell, approved these changes despite holding only one official public hearing. Reports by major media organizations cited FCC figures which said public comments to the FCC by phone, e-mail and snail mail numbered in the hundreds of thousands and that more than 90% of them were against the rule changes.

Those in favor of the rule changes said that the old rules were established during a different era in communications and thus were not adequate during this day and age of cable, satellite television and the Internet. They also said the rules will make many newspaper, radio and television stations more competitive as they will be able to cross-promote their product and develop new streams of advertising dollars.

Those against the rule changes cited fears that more and more of the nations' media outlets will be owned by fewer and fewer people and thus silent different alternate or less popular points of view. They also cited the airwaves belong in concept to the public yet are virtually given away to station owners who now face even fewer requirements to provide programming "in the public interest."

For a sampling of the debate please go to the official FCC Web site on this topic at http://www.fcc.gov/ownership/documents.h...

Congressional comments on the matter can be found at http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=st...

News and notes from the world of television:

"American Idol" host is talking: Ryan Seacrest, the host of FOX's hugely popular "American Idol" series, is getting his own syndicated talk show. The as yet untitled program will debut in January of 2004.

Meanwhile, Fox television is determined not to make the same mistake that ABC made with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Instead of immediately starting a new edition and risk driving "Idol" into the ground, FOX is holding off on "American Idol 3" until January 2004.

It has been said: "Some of us were cheered to see a fat guy win." - Television Critic Tom Shales, commenting on "The American Idol" phenomenon in the May 26, 2003 edition of "Television Week."

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