FCC Ignores Public, Relaxes Media Ownership

anthrax writes "Ignoring Congressional and public comments, the FCC voted to relax ownership rules that have prevented broadcasters from owning newspapers in the nation's 20 largest media markets. After holding several public hearings that overwhelmingly opposed the relaxation of the rules, and Congressional hearing where Democrats and Republicans (even Ted 'Tubes' Stevens) voiced opposition to the move, the FCC voted 3 to 2 to relax ownership. On the same day the FCC voted 3 to 2 (by a different split) to cap the size of any cable company at 30% of the nationwide market, a limit Comcast is up against."

Comments

Bill Moyers piece

[chumpboy]

Bill Moyers just did a piece on this Monday evening:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12142007/watch2.html

While fascinating, it was also one of the most horrific examples I have recently seen of a runaway Executive Branch. Once again we, as US citizens, need to rely upon our elected officials in Congress. Who knows how well that will turn out......

Most of the candidates are bought & paid for.

[Colin Smith]

Now if big media become even more highly concentrated, then big election funds become secondary to being blessed by those who tell mainstream America what to think. Awww. How cute. Someone who thinks that how they vote matters.

The largest contributors to... the Clinton, Obama and Romney campaigns are ...

Goldman Sachs... They must want something quite badly...

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00000019&cycle=2008
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00009638&cycle=2008
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00000286&cycle=2008

Giuliani's top contributor is Ernst & Young, but the banks are up there too.

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00009908&cycle=2008

The same people giving money to both sides... Almost as if they don't care who wins. Funny that, eh...

Re:Thank God

[Weedlekin]

"Newspapers in Britain on par with the likes of the New York Post (eg. The Sun and The Daily Mail) are held in high regard"

Neither of those "newspapers" or their readers are held in high regard. "Sun reader" has been used as a synonym for "unthinking mouth-breathing idiot" since the 1970s, and it's main contribution to British culture was introducing "Page Three Girl" as a generic term for a witless bimbo (The Sun used to have a different topless model every day on it's third page, together with a small, patronising piece of text that described people with one CSE in anything as having both brains and beauty. This, together with various competitions that were heavily advertised on TV was, and may still be, its major selling point).

Re:isn't democracy great?

[mjpaci]

I like reading the Editorials in the Wall Street Journal. Too bad they don't have funnies. :(

The Boston Globe Editorial page sucks, but they have a nice collection of funnies: Dilbert and Fox Trot come to mind.

http://sentenceofdave.blogspot.com/