Category: media ownership & consolidation
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At the Eleventh Hour We Already Know We’re About To Be Screwed by a Bigger Media Monopoly
Coverage and activism on the FCC’s impending media ownership rules review are reaching a near fever pitch, many months late in the game. I find it both facinating and frustrating that issues like this one have to get down to the wire before arousing any real attention from the press and any kind of critical…
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How Better to Fight the Media Monoliths? With Lobbyists or Direct Action?
On Wednesday the media columnist for the Boston Globe profiled four prominent activists in the current battle to keep the FCC from dismantling current media ownership regs. The profiles are relatively short and shallow, but what strikes me is that of the four, only one, Jenny Toomey of the Future of Music Coalition is not…
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The Impending Consolidation Story Up To Now — No More Begging
On today’s mediageek radio show I decided to give an update to all the various non-happenings and news regarding the impending FCC review of media ownership rules. It’s sort of a continuation and elaboration of Wednesday’s blog entry, Growing Awareness of the Media Monopoly Threat, But Will It Do Any Good? Click for more below.…
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Growing Awareness of the Media Monopoly Threat, But Will It Do Any Good?
I haven’t blogged much about the ongoing media consolidation debate recently because it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere new, different or interesting. Yes, it’s still important but mostly it’s the same refrain: FCC Democrats Copps and Adelstein keep going to public hearings and advocating for more restraint; FCC Chairman Powell says he already has…
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Catching Up & A Call To Mobilize Against Media Ownership Deregulation
Not surprisingly, I’ve gotten behind in posting archives of the mediageek radio show. I just posted the April 18th show where my guests were media scholar Robert McChesney and Matthew Rothschild, editor of the Progressive Magazine, who were a great help in getting listeners to call in during WEFT’s pledge drive. You can listen to…
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FCC Commishs hear more than 3 hours of real public testimony in Seattle
The public hearing on media ownership held last Friday in Seattle was probably the one most deserving of the modifier “public” so far. I listened for a good portion of the afternoon to the Seattle IMC’s live ‘net feed, and presented a choice 20 minutes of public testimony on Friday’s mediageek radioshow. Of course, it’s…
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For the Media Economics Trumps Democracy
The LA Times has an interview with Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau Chief W. Kenneth Ferree, the man charged with writing the new media ownership rules that the FCC Commissioners will decide upon. In sum, it looks like Ferree is leaning towards using “hard number” metrics and some of the same formulas used by the…
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The FCC’s Public Farce
John at DIYmedia.net accurately sizes up the “hearing” on media ownership rules that the FCC is throwing in (at?) Richmond, VA today: “The ‘hearing’ has become a ‘forum,’ with an hour-long introductory performance, three 50-minute panel discussions and an hour for lunch. The panels are packed with “experts” – scholars, media executives, professional journalists, and…
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FCC Finally Announces Location for Public Hearing on Media Ownership & Mad Scientists Plan To Present Their Evidence
For the record, in case you plan on being in the Richmond, VA area for the one and only FCC sponsored public hearing on media ownership, here’s the details: “As announced on January 23, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold a one-day field hearing on Thursday, February 27, 2003, in Richmond, Virginia, to facilitate…
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Watch Video from Senate Commerce Committee Hearing on Radio Competition
The CSPAN video from today’s hearing is on-line, though I don’t yet have a permalink. This one should work for a while: http://www.cspan.org/VideoArchives.asp?Cat=Issue&Code=MP