Writers Guild Says Merged Media Could Fund Public TV

The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) has advised the Federal Communications Commission that if it lets any more big media companies merge, it should make them help pay for public affairs programming on public television.

It also advised it against allowing more consolidation of operations or ownership of news media outlets -- like local TV stations -- and wants the FCC to start thinking about concentration of power in multichannel video distribution by companies that are also Internet Service Providers. That came in comments to the FCC July 8 on its quadrennial review of media ownership rules and which to keep, change or dispense with.