Free Press to FCC: Deny South Bend Deal

Free Press asked the Federal Communications Commission to deny Schurz Communications' purchase of a trio of low-power TV stations in South Bend (IN). Filing the petition for Free Press, Media Access Project argued that allowing one company to own four of the six network-TV affiliates (though only two of the Big Four), two radio stations and the only daily newspaper in the market was not in the public interest. Schurz countered that it provided all of the information the FCC requires and that its history in similar purchases has been to improve the public service on the stations it acquires. According to Free Press research director S. Derek Turner, Schurz already owns WSBT-TV, the full-power CBS affiliate; the South Bend Tribune, the only daily newspaper, which Schurz owns via a grandfathered broadcast/newspaper combination; WSBT (AM), the only news-radio station; and WNSN-FM. Adding the Weigel Broadcasting stations would expand that portfolio by WBND-LP, the ABC affiliate; WCCW-LP, The CW affiliate; and WMTS-LP, the MyNetworkTV affiliate. With that lineup, MAP added, "Schurz alone will control 81% of the revenue in the South Bend news market ... [Schurz] does not claim, much less establish, that any of the involved stations are failing, that they are experiencing financial distress, that it will be adding significant amounts of new local news, or that the Schurz properties will exercise independent news judgments. Thus, it meets none of the criteria that a majority of the commission recently said would be necessary to rebut a presumption against cross-ownership in medium-sized or smaller markets."