Stop the media hulk

Gadfly alerted us earlier that the FCC voted 3-2 to allow Big Media to hulk into Ginormous Media by relaxing the rules that limit broadcast ownership of newspapers in America's top 20 markets.

In response to the FCC vote, StopBigMedia.com posted an Open Letter to Congress:

Subject: FCC Votes for Big Media: Throw the Rules Out

Dear Members of Congress,

We write to you today to ask you to act swiftly to overturn the FCC's Dec. 18 vote to relax media ownership rules.

We have spoken out against media consolidation in every way we know how: attending hearings, writing letters, submitting comments. However, on Dec. 18, the FCC ignored this widespread public opposition -- just like it did in 2003. The FCC has turned its back on its mission and its mandate. Their decision to let Big Media get even bigger will erode localism, diminish minority ownership, and decrease competition.

Please take action now to introduce a Resolution of Disapproval and overturn the FCC's reckless action.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your address]

The goal is 100,000 signatures. At this time, they have gathered approximately 9,500 signatures. Take action by signing here.

Today, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) issued an ultimatum to FCC Chairman Martin.

[Keep reading...]

We're not gonna take it. Last week, Kerry and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) wrote Martin (with emphasis):

We believe that moving forward with this change will have a direct and detrimental impact on the state of media diversity. Should you decide to move forward with this vote against the expressed bipartisan, bicameral intent of Congress, we will approach Appropriations Committee Chairman Byrd with a request that funds be denied for the implementation of this rule.

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) penned a letter signed by Kerry and 25 other senators that notified Martin the fight has just begun (with emphasis):

With this in mind we are writing to notify you that if you proceed to take final action on this rule on December 18th without having given a reasonable opportunity for comment on the actual rules and study the related issues, we will immediately move legislation that will revoke and nullify the proposed rule. We are notifying you and others of this proposed action in order to make certain you understand the consequences of ignoring the need for and the right of the American people to play a constructive role in attempts by a federal agency to change rules that have a substantial impact on the American people.

In light of this, we request and expect that you will postpone the action scheduled for December 18, 2007.

Essentially, Chairman Martin and his Repub cohorts told the senators and public opposition to go Cheney themselves with today's FCC vote. So the rumble is on.

UPDATE: Fixed Obama' s party and state identification but you knew it already, didn't you?

Also, of special note, our friends at FressPress.net have compiled a chart based on 2006 revenues of what corporate conglomerates control media by radio, TV, publishing and newspapers, Internet, etc.

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Media consolidation alert

Time to move against an effort for further media consolidation.

The Nation blog:

...All five members of the FCC panel appeared before a hearing of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee convened by Rep. John Dingell. The questioning focused on [FCC Commission Chairman Kevin] Martin's efforts to ram through changes in the agency's media-ownership rules--changes that were widely unpopular when proposed by previous FCC Chairman Michael Powell in 2003. Martin was urged repeatedly by Democratic lawmakers not to expedite the rule changes, to allow sufficient time for the public to be consulted and to drop his plans to hold a vote at an FCC meeting on December 18 -- a vote he knows he's likely to win.

Last week, our friends at the media reform group Free Press released two reports criticizing Martin's rush for more media consolidation. Devil in the Details [PDF] exposed how the loose and ambiguous "waiver" standard proposed by Martin creates a giant loophole for big media companies to exploit. Out of the Picture 2007 [PDF] found minority-owned commercial TV stations decreased by 8.5 percent last year on Martin's watch -- with the number of black-owned stations falling 60 percent.

And the proposed rule changes will make all these problems worse! "What the FCC is proposing would result in sweeping changes to the American media landscape that would leave us with fewer competing voices and less diversity on the public airwaves," said S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press.

Watch this video for a full understanding.



Take action at StopBigMedia.com to support the Media Ownership Act of 2007 that would stop the FCC from easing media ownership rules, voice your concerns with the FCC, and many other options at the link.

C'mon. Let's roll.

[No more after the break. That's all.]

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