FCC listens to Austin about Media Consolidation

FCC LISTENS TO AUSTIN ABOUT MEDIA CONSOLIDATION
[SOURCE: Austin Statesman, AUTHOR: Joe Gross]
Opening a public hearing on media consolidation and diversity at the University of Texas, veteran Tejano broadcaster Marcelo H. Tafoya said that when he started in radio in 1962, one was taught to fear God and the FCC, not necessarily in that order. But according to Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, those days are long gone, mostly because of loosened ownership rules that shut out local voices and give large media corporations a good deal of control. "We're like a paper tiger, and (media corporations) know better than to fear us," Adelstein said at the Tuesday night hearing. The Federal Communications Commission "should be promoting localism, diversity and competition. We've failed on all three fronts." The hearing, organized by the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Latino Media Council, was tied to the public comment period on FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's proposal to modify restrictions on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership. The proposal would change rules that prevent a company from owning a major daily newspaper and radio or television station in the same area. The proposal also wants to alter restrictions that ban one company from owning two or more TV stations in a single market. At this hearing, the primary interest was in the absence of Tejano music from the Austin airwaves. Of the eight Spanish radio stations in the area, six are owned by Border Media Partners, and two are owned by Univision.
http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/09/20/20fcc.html

* FCC Commissioner seeks input on media ownership expansion
http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2006/0...

* Adelstein: Public Deserves to See All Studies
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2006/09/20/daily.8/