FCC hush on Hawaii Now concerns media council

The trio of broadcast television stations known as Hawaii Now or, for newscast branding purposes, Hawaii News Now, will mark its first anniversary Oct. 26, two days before the Oct. 28 start of the November Nielsen ratings.

Licensed to affiliates of Raycom Media and HITV License Subsidiary, the stations include two network affiliates that are among the four top-rated stations in the market. Media Council Hawaii took its opposition to the companies' so-called shared-services agreement to the Federal Communications Commission a year ago in the form of an emergency request to block the stations' consolidation. There has been a back-and-forth flurry of FCC filings but no definitive ruling. "Over the past year we have made progress by forcing Raycom and HITV to release copies of their agreements and to make some changes," said Angela Campbell, an attorney representing the media council. "But the fundamental problems -- the combined news operations and Raycom's control of two of the top-ranked stations in violation of the FCC's rules -- remain. We urge the FCC to take prompt action to ensure that these stations serve the public interest." Gerald Kato, UH journalism professor and MCH board member, said, "If allowed to continue, the shared-services agreement here and others across the country will render FCC regulation and rules involving the public interest meaningless. Our community, indeed, our nation, deserves better." The media council has invited FCC commissioners to come see the consolidation's impact firsthand.