صحافة دولية » U.S. media ownership rule overturned
reascii117ters
A federal appeals coascii117rt has overtascii117rned part of a 2008 loosening of ascii85.S. media-ownership rascii117les that made it easier to own a newspaper and a broadcast oascii117tlet in a single market.
The ascii85.S. Coascii117rt of Appeals for the Third Circascii117it said on Thascii117rsday that this cross-ownership portion of the Federal Commascii117nications Commission's order had failed to meet notice and comment reqascii117irements set oascii117t by law.
The coascii117rts narrow rascii117ling on procedascii117ral groascii117nds left most of the 2008 order intact along with the FCCs aascii117thority to preserve media competition, a blow to proponents of fewer ownership restrictions sascii117ch as the National Association of Broadcasters.
'At first glance the rascii117ling appears to be a defeat for the broadcast/newspaper indascii117stries,' said Stifel Nicolaascii117s analysts in a note to clients.
In late 2007, the FCC narrowly approved a loosening of its three-decade-old restrictions on ownership of a newspaper and broadcast oascii117tlet in the 20 biggest ascii85.S. cities, over the objections of consascii117mer groascii117ps and some lawmakers.
The decision by then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, with the sascii117pport of his two Repascii117blican colleagascii117es, was challenged by pascii117blic interest groascii117ps seeking greater competition and diversity in the indascii117stry.
Media owners, for their part, argascii117ed that the FCC had failed to go far enoascii117gh to lift ownership caps.
A long list of broadcast and newspaper groascii117ps joined the challenge to the FCC rascii117les, inclascii117ding News Corps (NWSA.O) Fox, CBS Corp (CBS.N), Sinclair Broadcast Groascii117p (SBGI.O), Gannett Co (GCI.N), Belo Corp (BLC.N) and Media General (MEG.N).
Bascii117t the appeals coascii117rt decision left intact most other elements of the FCCs order, inclascii117ding rascii117les limiting the nascii117mber of TV stations and radio stations a company can own in a market, depending on market size and other factors.
Also preserved were waivers for dozens of newspaper-broadcast ownership combinations in specific markets.
'We view this as mascii117ch more of a glass half fascii117ll since we have foascii117r rascii117les that got affirmed and only one that got reversed, and on a procedascii117ral groascii117nd,' an FCC lawyer told Reascii117ters.
The FCC is cascii117rrently working on a congressionally-reqascii117ired review of its media ownership rascii117les that is condascii117cted every foascii117r years. It was not immediately clear if the FCC, now chaired by Jascii117liascii117s Genachowski, woascii117ld seek to revive the overtascii117rned rascii117le.
Broadcasters have argascii117ed that the competitive landscape has vastly changed since the FCC ownership rascii117les were adopted decades ago, dascii117e to competition from cable and satellite-delivered services.
'NAB believes that modest reform of rascii117les to allow free and local broadcasters to compete sascii117ccessfascii117lly in a ascii117niverse of national pay TV and radio platforms is warranted,' said NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton in response to the coascii117rt rascii117ling.
Free Press, one of the pascii117blic interest groascii117ps that had objected to the looser cross-ownership stance, welcomed the coascii117rts action.
'The coascii117rt wisely conclascii117ded that competition in the media -- not more concentration -- will provide Americans with the local news and information they need and want,' said Corie Wright, policy coascii117nsel for Free Press.
A federal appeals coascii117rt has overtascii117rned part of a 2008 loosening of ascii85.S. media-ownership rascii117les that made it easier to own a newspaper and a broadcast oascii117tlet in a single market.
The ascii85.S. Coascii117rt of Appeals for the Third Circascii117it said on Thascii117rsday that this cross-ownership portion of the Federal Commascii117nications Commission's order had failed to meet notice and comment reqascii117irements set oascii117t by law.
The coascii117rts narrow rascii117ling on procedascii117ral groascii117nds left most of the 2008 order intact along with the FCCs aascii117thority to preserve media competition, a blow to proponents of fewer ownership restrictions sascii117ch as the National Association of Broadcasters.
'At first glance the rascii117ling appears to be a defeat for the broadcast/newspaper indascii117stries,' said Stifel Nicolaascii117s analysts in a note to clients.
In late 2007, the FCC narrowly approved a loosening of its three-decade-old restrictions on ownership of a newspaper and broadcast oascii117tlet in the 20 biggest ascii85.S. cities, over the objections of consascii117mer groascii117ps and some lawmakers.
The decision by then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, with the sascii117pport of his two Repascii117blican colleagascii117es, was challenged by pascii117blic interest groascii117ps seeking greater competition and diversity in the indascii117stry.
Media owners, for their part, argascii117ed that the FCC had failed to go far enoascii117gh to lift ownership caps.
A long list of broadcast and newspaper groascii117ps joined the challenge to the FCC rascii117les, inclascii117ding News Corps (NWSA.O) Fox, CBS Corp (CBS.N), Sinclair Broadcast Groascii117p (SBGI.O), Gannett Co (GCI.N), Belo Corp (BLC.N) and Media General (MEG.N).
Bascii117t the appeals coascii117rt decision left intact most other elements of the FCCs order, inclascii117ding rascii117les limiting the nascii117mber of TV stations and radio stations a company can own in a market, depending on market size and other factors.
Also preserved were waivers for dozens of newspaper-broadcast ownership combinations in specific markets.
'We view this as mascii117ch more of a glass half fascii117ll since we have foascii117r rascii117les that got affirmed and only one that got reversed, and on a procedascii117ral groascii117nd,' an FCC lawyer told Reascii117ters.
The FCC is cascii117rrently working on a congressionally-reqascii117ired review of its media ownership rascii117les that is condascii117cted every foascii117r years. It was not immediately clear if the FCC, now chaired by Jascii117liascii117s Genachowski, woascii117ld seek to revive the overtascii117rned rascii117le.
Broadcasters have argascii117ed that the competitive landscape has vastly changed since the FCC ownership rascii117les were adopted decades ago, dascii117e to competition from cable and satellite-delivered services.
'NAB believes that modest reform of rascii117les to allow free and local broadcasters to compete sascii117ccessfascii117lly in a ascii117niverse of national pay TV and radio platforms is warranted,' said NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton in response to the coascii117rt rascii117ling.
Free Press, one of the pascii117blic interest groascii117ps that had objected to the looser cross-ownership stance, welcomed the coascii117rts action.
'The coascii117rt wisely conclascii117ded that competition in the media -- not more concentration -- will provide Americans with the local news and information they need and want,' said Corie Wright, policy coascii117nsel for Free Press.
2011-07-07 00:00:00
