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Currently, the FCC is the legislative branch of the media conglomerates.

The FCC exists primarily to cater to ClearChannel / Kiss FM. It's not about serving the public, it's about serving big business.

Pirate Radio is an act of civil disobedience.

There is an old saying - Want a free press? Buy one. Of course, for those of us that can't buy one - you can start your own!

Just imagine 1,000 Slashdotters rebroadcasting Airamerica Radio across the midwest. We might finally have a voice to reckon with Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

Last week, CBS censored free speech by refusing to sell airtime to the MoveOn Voter Fund for a political ad during the Super Bowl. The ad is critical of the Bush Administration's run-up of the federal deficit.

CBS -- owned by media giant Viacom -- says it doesn't run "controversial" ads during the Super Bowl. But it plans to air a White House drug policy spot during the game. The last such ad linked marijuana smoking to terrorism... hardly uncontroversial.

It is no coincidence that the White House and the FCC are pushing through new media ownership limits at the behest of CBS and other media giants -- efforts that MoveOn and Free Press activists have been fighting. CBS/Viacom spent $4 million lobbying Congress in the last four years alone.

CBS is playing politics with the right to free speech: another example of media monopoly's chilling effect on democratic debate.

We need your help to spread the word about CBS and the growing media crisis. Many members of Congress continue to fight media consolidation because millions of Americans have raised their voices. This recent insult proves that we need millions more.

First, forward this email to everyone you know who cares about free speech and democracy.

Next, go to http://www.mediareform.net/media to learn more and sign up to be a Free Press E-Activist if you are not one already.

Help us expand the number of activists working to build a media system that serves the public interest, not just corporate interests. Our democracy depends on it.

Onward,
The Free Press Team

P.S. Stay up to date on news relating to media reform with our free daily headline service. Sign up at http://www.mediareform.net/news/deliveries.php. Give it a try; both subscribing and unsubscribing are easy.

P.P.S. Support media reform by becoming a Free Press Action Fund member at http://www.mediareform.net/support.php

Last week, CBS censored free speech by refusing to sell airtime to the MoveOn Voter Fund for a political ad during the Super Bowl. The ad is critical of the Bush Administration's run-up of the federal deficit.

CBS -- owned by media giant Viacom -- says it doesn't run "controversial" ads during the Super Bowl. But it plans to air a White House drug policy spot during the game. The last such ad linked marijuana smoking to terrorism... hardly uncontroversial.

It is no coincidence that the White House and the FCC are pushing through new media ownership limits at the behest of CBS and other media giants -- efforts that MoveOn and Free Press activists have been fighting. CBS/Viacom spent $4 million lobbying Congress in the last four years alone.

CBS is playing politics with the right to free speech: another example of media monopoly's chilling effect on democratic debate.

We need your help to spread the word about CBS and the growing media crisis. Many members of Congress continue to fight media consolidation because millions of Americans have raised their voices. This recent insult proves that we need millions more.

First, forward this email to everyone you know who cares about free speech and democracy.

Next, go to http://www.mediareform.net/media to learn more and sign up to be a Free Press E-Activist if you are not one already.

Help us expand the number of activists working to build a media system that serves the public interest, not just corporate interests. Our democracy depends on it.

Onward,
The Free Press Team

P.S. Stay up to date on news relating to media reform with our free daily headline service. Sign up at http://www.mediareform.net/news/deliveries.php. Give it a try; both subscribing and unsubscribing are easy.

P.P.S. Support media reform by becoming a Free Press Action Fund member at http://www.mediareform.net/support.php

Last week, CBS censored free speech by refusing to sell airtime to the MoveOn Voter Fund for a political ad during the Super Bowl. The ad is critical of the Bush Administration's run-up of the federal deficit.

CBS -- owned by media giant Viacom -- says it doesn't run "controversial" ads during the Super Bowl. But it plans to air a White House drug policy spot during the game. The last such ad linked marijuana smoking to terrorism... hardly uncontroversial.

It is no coincidence that the White House and the FCC are pushing through new media ownership limits at the behest of CBS and other media giants -- efforts that MoveOn and Free Press activists have been fighting. CBS/Viacom spent $4 million lobbying Congress in the last four years alone.

CBS is playing politics with the right to free speech: another example of media monopoly's chilling effect on democratic debate.

We need your help to spread the word about CBS and the growing media crisis. Many members of Congress continue to fight media consolidation because millions of Americans have raised their voices. This recent insult proves that we need millions more.

First, forward this email to everyone you know who cares about free speech and democracy.

Next, go to http://www.mediareform.net/media to learn more and sign up to be a Free Press E-Activist if you are not one already.

Help us expand the number of activists working to build a media system that serves the public interest, not just corporate interests. Our democracy depends on it.

Onward,
The Free Press Team

P.S. Stay up to date on news relating to media reform with our free daily headline service. Sign up at http://www.mediareform.net/news/deliveries.php. Give it a try; both subscribing and unsubscribing are easy.

P.P.S. Support media reform by becoming a Free Press Action Fund member at http://www.mediareform.net/support.php

Here's the text of the petition; you can sign it if you like at mediareform.net.

Dear (Name):

We, the undersigned, call on Congress to overturn the Federal Communication Commission's relaxation of media ownership rules that was passed by a 3-2 vote on June 2, 2003.

A self-governing and free society requires an open, fair, and representative media system with the widest possible dissemination of diverse, local, and independent information and ideas. These are values we hold to be central to our democracy.

The new media ownership rules handed down by the FCC are in clear violation of these values. American citizens from across the political spectrum have spoken out against them with a unified voice. The FCC review that produced the new rules ignored informed public input and used skewed studies to justify trading public service for private profit.

Whether Congress legislates to overturn the new FCC rules, passes a resolution nullifying the FCC action, or votes for a spending bill that accomplishes the same result, we demand a total rollback of the June 2 rule change.

(Your comment here)

Sincerely,

(Your name)
(Your address)

Much of this is froufrou. While I take some sort of glee in the fact that the *partial* rollback measure was attached as a "rider" to a spending bill - just like how Congress screwed LPFM back in 2000 - similar legislation must still be passed by the Senate, and then survive a conference committee, a veto, AND an override, in order to actually happen.

Symbolically, this is a very good thing (as well as being somewhat historic in a political sense), but in the real world it will likely get axed in the dead of night by the real string-pullers in Congress, and what the FCC did will stay in place.

That is why just ignoring the FCC to begin with makes for more fun. (viva microradio!)

Seriously tho, if you want the scoop on the politics you can get near-daily updates from media reform lobbyists working the Hill. I don't know if they keep archives of their reports, but I do remember seeing that more than this rider was in play at one time. One other proposed amendment (sunk before getting to the floor, I believe) would've rolled back most if not all of the FCC's changes, but the one that made the cut was the weakest of the bunch.

IMNSHO, this will be the great privatizing of the profits and socialization of cost, and the nationalization of outfits like Clear Channel. I'm glad I'm starting a new newspaper right now, and I wonder if we'll ever get megaconglomerates trying to take us over. (I doubt it.)

What this will likely mean in the short-term is that medium-sized media companies such as Lee Enterprises will get bought up, essentially meaning that newspapers will generally recite only one line, which (through an amazing coincidence) will be the same line you hear on TV and/or the radio. That's just my opinion as a slightly informed media activist; I could be wrong.

It will be interesting to see if there's an upsurge in interest in Indymedia outlets if the FCC votes to allow this. And my feeling is that they will, by a party line, with son-of-Sec. of State General Powell, Michael Powell, giving the key vote allowing it to happen.

That democracy you thought we had actually has been comatose for some time now. This will shoot it in its paralyzed leg.

------

That said, here's a group that's making a difference in fighting the conglomeration: mediareform.net, a group concerned that is concerned how journalism has become dumbed-down entertainment and how shrinking the diversity of media ownership has muted much of the debate and placed an extraordinary degree of economic and social power in a very few hands. (Witness the recent rush to war.)

As always, start looking at your local Indymedia chapter. There's two new ones in Kansas City and Cincinnati that I don't think are on the main site yet.

And have fun.