GAO: FCC Data on Minority Ownership Deficient

The Government Accountability Office concluded that minority ownership of media properties remains limited, but just how limited is hard to tell due to deficiencies in Federal Communications Commission data collection, including filling exemptions for some stations, noncommercial "inadequate data quality procedures" and problems with data storage. But based on the limited data it had, the GAO said the key limiting factors were the high fixed costs, the size of the market and local radio- and TV-ownership caps. The GAO concluded that "though smaller owners, including minorities and women, have opportunities to enter the media industry by way of Internet-based and niche publications, these groups continue to face long-standing challenges to the ownership of radio and television stations." It recommended that the FCC improve the reliability of its data so it could better assess its rules.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6550774.html?rssid=193

* Media Ownership: Economic Factors Influence the Number of Media Outlets in Local Markets, While Ownership by Minorities and Women Appears Limited and Is Difficult to Assess
[GAO-08-383, March 12]
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-383

* Highlights
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08383high.pdf