FCC Commissioner Copps: Broadcasters lack diversity

Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps has some concerns with the broadcast industry. Media consolidation, he worries, will stamp out diverse voices on the airwaves. And he doesn't think broadcast stations do a good enough job covering public affairs.

Broadcasters currently reapply for their licenses every eight years. Copps said he wants them to reapply every three years, as was the standard a couple of decades ago. "It shouldn't just be automatic renewal," he said. "In return for being stewards of the public airwaves, their responsibility is to serve the public interest." Commissioner Copps thinks broadcasters should spend more time covering local politics. "What passes as election coverage in this country is just scandalous," he said.