Home Login RADIO ONLINE RSS Facebook
Advertisement

Groups Ask FCC to Slow Media Ownership Review


Civil rights organizations, unions and public interest groups held a press teleconference on Thursday to urge the FCC to finish diversity studies before "lifting longstanding media ownership limits." The groups are calling on the Commission to delay any action on media ownership rules until it first analyzes the impact of proposed changes on women and people of color.

As previously reported, the FCC is poised to ease ownership restrictions on stations in the top 20 markets by loosening the broadcast/newspaper cross-ownership ban. After two previously failed attempts to loosen the rule enacted in the 1950's, the Commission is expected by the end of the year to approve a new proposal that would allow newspapers and TV or radio stations in the top 20 markets to consolidate.

Free Press President/CEO Craig Aaron is once again threatening to sue the Commission if new media ownership rules are approved before diversity studies are completed. "If they move forward without public input, then I believe we will have no choice but to take them to court again," said Aaron. "Diversity is not something that we can deal with later after changing the rules after allowing more concentration. Diversity needs to come first."

Featured speakers at the conference included Rev. Jesse Jackson, Leadership Conference President/CEO Wade Henderson, The Newspaper Guild-CWA's Bernie Lunzer, Asian American Justice Center's Mee Moua, ColorOfChange.org's Rashad Robinson and National Hispanic Media Coalition's Alex Nogales.

Advertisement

Latest Radio Stories

FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington to Step Down
Nathan Simington
Nathan Simington
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Nathan A. Simington announced he will conclude his tenure at the end of this week, bringing to a close a nearly five-year term marked by his focus on free speech, national security, and telecommunications infrastructure. Appointed by President Donald More

Podcast Ads Lead U.S. Media in Ad Recall and Trust
Sounds Profitable
Sounds Profitable
Podcast advertising outperforms all other media platforms when it comes to ad recall and consumer trust, according to a new study released by Sounds Profitable, the podcasting trade association. Entitled The Advertising Landscape: Trust and Attention, the study is the largest public analysis of podcast More

iHM/SC-GA Region Names Bobby Tatum as Area President
Bobby Tatum
Bobby Tatum
iHeartMedia promotes veteran executive Bobby Tatum to Area President of its newly consolidated South Carolina-Georgia region, expanding his oversight to 67 stations across markets including Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Florence, Savannah, and Augusta. Tatum began his radio career in 2007 as an Account More
Advertisement

Ferrari Simmons Named Assistant PD at WRDG in Atlanta
Ferrari Simmons
Ferrari Simmons
iHeartMedia Atlanta's WRDG-FM (96.1 The Beat) promotes Ferrari Simmons to Assistant Program Director, effective immediately. In his new role, Simmons will focus on coaching and developing air talent, as well as overseeing the station's imaging and production. He will report directly to Vladimir Scott, More

Report: Top 32 Podcasts Reach Half of Weekly Listeners
Edison Research
Edison Research
Podcast advertising just got more strategic, thanks to new data from Edison Research. In its latest analysis, the company revealed that the top 32 podcasts in the U.S. now reach half of all weekly podcast listeners -- an audience of 50 million Americans. The findings come from Edison's "Infinite Dial" More

Rob Dawson Named ND for iHM's Rocky Mountain Region
Rob Dawson
Rob Dawson
iHeartMedia elevates Rob Dawson to News Director of the Rocky Mountain Region for its 24/7 News service, following the semi-retirement of longtime news leader Kathy Walker. Walker, who has been with iHeartMedia for 35 years, will remain with the company in a part-time role within the Denver newsroom. "We More

Return to Menu

Advertisement

Subscribe to our Newsletter
Radio news and headlines delivered right to your e-mail box -- and it's free.

Advertisement

Advertisement