Members of the StopBigMedia.com coalition make the case against media consolidation.
Devil in the Details
This report exposes 10 key facts that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin doesn't want you to know about his new media ownership rules.
The FCC has abandoned its mandate to ensure diverse viewpoints are represented in U.S. media, as shown in these reports:
Out of the Picture 2007
This new study examines the devastating impact of consolidation on minority and female television station ownership.
Off the Dial
Learn about the dismal state of minority and female ownership in radio.
The Imbalance of Political Talk Radio
See how policy decisions led to the dominance of the conservative talk show format on the radio.
Take a look at all the evidence in the case against Big Media. Read the reports and official FCC comments filed by Free Press and coalition allies.
On May 15, 2008, in a near-unanimous vote, the Senate responded to thousands of phone calls and more than a quarter million letters from members of the Stop Big Media campaign, and vetoed the Federal Communications Commission’s December 2007 decision to let the biggest media companies get even bigger. This win is a reminder of the power of our collective voices to make real change in Washington, D.C.
Last December, the FCC voted to remove the "newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership" ban that prohibits one company from owning a broadcast station and the major daily newspaper in the same market. The resolution of disapproval (Senate Joint Resolution 28), introduced by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) in early March, would nullify the FCC's new rules if passed by Congress and signed by the president. This Senate win was a huge step forward for better media in America. However, there is still much to do.
The fight against the FCC now moves to the House. The House version of the resolution (H.J. Res. 79) was introduced by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) in March.
In the meantime, we are working to foster female and minority ownership. We need to make media an election-year issue. And eventually we need to begin to break up the Big Media monopolies. You can help.
Sign up to become an e-activist here: Sign Up Now!
The rule change lifted the longstanding ban on "newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership," which prevents companies from owning a television or radio station and the major daily newspaper in the same area. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin claims that eliminating the cross-ownership ban -- a vital safeguard that has protected media diversity, competition and localism for more than 30 years -- is meant to ensure the viability of American newspapers. But the proposed rules are nothing more than a massive giveaway to Big Media.
On March 6, Sen. Dorgan introduced a "resolution of disapproval" which would overturn the FCC rule changes. This bill was then unanimously endorsed by the Senate Commerce Committee on April 24. A unique provision in the bill meant that it had to be passed by the Senate within 60 legislative days. On May 15, the full Senate took up the bill and passed it in a near-unanimous vote.
The House of Representatives must take up the bill by the end of the year.
Although Martin wrote an op-ed and issued a press release claiming that the change would only apply to the country's top 20 media markets, the rules include a giant loophole that will open the back door to unchecked media consolidation in nearly every market in America. The rules will make it far easier than ever before to get around the cross-ownership ban.
Read the 10 Facts Martin Doesn't Want You to Know About His New Media Ownership Rules.
Martin's rule change will cause serious and lasting damage to our media. It would open the door to a frenzy of media mergers across the country, as the biggest media companies buy and swap properties to establish local and regional dominance. Yet the FCC's own data shows that markets with cross-owned properties have less local news.
Read testimony at the FCC by Free Press about why cross-ownership is bad for local communities.
The rule change threatens to further diminish media ownership by people of color -- whose stations are the right size and in the markets most likely to be targeted by the media giants. This is yet another example of how the FCC ignores the media diversity crisis.
Martin is ignoring overwhelming opposition from the public and from Congress. At a series of official public hearings and in hundreds of thousands of comments filed with the FCC, the public has spoken out against media consolidation. And both the public and Congress have called upon Martin to shelve his proposed changes until the FCC addresses outstanding concerns about localism and minority ownership.
Learn more about the case against Big Media.
Read official FCC comments filed by Free Press, Consumers Union and Consumer Federation of America.
Read additional FCC comments filed by allied organizations.
The marriage of Comcast and NBC is bad news for consumers. But Washington and Wall Street have already bought into the idea that it's a done deal. That's why Americans need to speak out now and stop the mega-merger!
Take Action »
