Groups Ask FCC to Slow Media Ownership Review

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, November 29, 2012 | 3:37pm CT

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.