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FCC To Loosen TV, Newspaper Ownership Rules (reuters.com)
The FCC is planning to vote on rolling back landmark media ownership regulations that prohibit owning a television station and newspaper in the same market and making it easier to acquire additional TV or radio stations. Reuters reports: If approved at the FCC's November meeting, the move would be a win for newspapers and broadcasters that have pushed for the change for decades, but was criticized by Democrats who said it could usher in a new era of media consolidation. The FCC in 1975 banned cross-ownership of a newspaper and broadcast station in the same market, unless it granted a waiver, to ensure a diversity of opinions. The rule was made before the explosion of internet and cable news and Republican President Donald Trump and Pai have vowed to reduce government regulation.
"We must stop the federal government from intervening in the news business," Pai told a congressional panel, noting that many newspapers have closed and many radio and TV stations are struggling. Pai moved earlier this year to make it easier for some companies to own a larger number of local stations. Pai said the marketplace no longer justifies the rules, citing Facebook and Alphabet's dominance of internet advertising. "Online competition for the collection and distribution of news is greater than ever. And just two internet companies claim 100 percent of recent online advertising growth; indeed, their digital ad revenue this year alone will be greater than the market cap of the entire broadcasting industry," Pai said.
"We must stop the federal government from intervening in the news business," Pai told a congressional panel, noting that many newspapers have closed and many radio and TV stations are struggling. Pai moved earlier this year to make it easier for some companies to own a larger number of local stations. Pai said the marketplace no longer justifies the rules, citing Facebook and Alphabet's dominance of internet advertising. "Online competition for the collection and distribution of news is greater than ever. And just two internet companies claim 100 percent of recent online advertising growth; indeed, their digital ad revenue this year alone will be greater than the market cap of the entire broadcasting industry," Pai said.
>The move would be a win for newspapers and broadcasters that have pushed for the change for decades,
No, the product will become even more shit and the viewership will continue to decline, undermining their investments in buying up all the local players.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
Hah, what did you Amercians do to deserve Pai.
He's not even trying to hide being bought by big money.
He should just setup a bidding platform to buy legislation.
46137
With fewer companies to coordinate with, it would be much easier to promote a consistent agenda.
the WaPo Channel. the SF Examiner Morning Zoo.
In their next move, billed as a effort to recoup massive loss on infrastructure, the FCC will negotiate sale of the entirety of independent network broadcast corporations to a state-owned Russian company.
The whole reason for loosening these rules, and the rules on local ownership, is to pave the way for the far-right Sinclair Broadcast Group to buy even more TV stations across the country. Instead of local news, you will only get stories that reflect the Sinclair agenda.
More centralized control over local media.
https://www.salon.com/2017/10/...
You are welcome on my lawn.
People under 50 get their news on the cellphone, and whether that's the Facebook or Twitter or updates, the share of news influenced by old school local news & dead tree papers is bordering on insignificant.
Pai is right, not because of his fealty to the industry, but because the consolidation doesn't impact a significant monopoly of the news market.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
For Pete's sake, that's what we have now, or nearly so. News is nearly single perspective now and owned/controlled by a handful of like minded people.
The only fly in the single source ointment is the internet's low cost of entry into the new business. All you need is a couple of dollars and some time and you (YES YOU) can have a web presence like the New York Times... Who cares if you provide accurate information, they certainly don't.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
In case you haven't noticed, broadcasting media (TV and Radio) has been hitting the skids along with the news papers. One possible exception is "talk" radio. They are all on the same flight path, fighting with online competition and internet alternatives and will suffer the same fate. The writing is on the wall for broadcast TV, trust me.
Increased reputation won't help..
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
This is the end of our Republic.
The MSM provides much more accurate information than any fucktard with a web page (I include Breitbart and Infowars in the fucktards with web pages)
You seem to be mistaking the two purveyors of advertisements with those looking for and posting the news to the internet.
Another day, another chip out of the rules and regulations that make us civil and decent to each other.
Nothing good can come of this, which is the hallmark the Trump administration: Just how badly can we fuck this country up in 4 years?
Step 1: further consolidation of geographically-biased opinion news.
Step 2: further cluster fuck of opinions (you think California being completely out of step with the country is something, wait until every state votes by 75%-25% margin).
Step 3: further financial incentives to suppress opposing view points (left or right -- it doesn't matter -- as long as they oppose the cluster fuck in a particular geo market)
Step 4: complete disregard for whether it is right or wrong to suppress unpopular speech. No national politician wins a local election unless they rail against those who oppose the cluster-fuck views. There is already a loud voice to suppress "hate speech" on college campuses. It will become the norm once every market is dominated by 1-opinion news sources.
Step 5: with complete lack of defenders and a deluge of critics, Google News folds to salvage its other businesses from judicial and legislative encroachment
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Which morons are in the FCC? Those rules need to be stricter and limit how many stations one owner is allowed to have nationwide.
Well ... guess who profits from this, not himself but his 'friends' will.
Bach says it all.
(Continuing another hyper-sensitive-touchpad bogus post.)
But, seriously, it seems to me that reducing the cost of operation may also make it possible for others to enter the field. The rule was missing for a century or so, and there was some diversity. Yet, under it, there has been enormous consolidation. Maybe this is one of those good-sounding ideas that have unintended consequences that completely swamp and reverse their intended effect.
Regardless, after the way the media, as a block, savaged Trump, I'd expect his guys to be looking for subtle ways to do
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
(and there it goes again)
Regardless, after the way the media, as a block, savaged Trump, I'd expect his guys to be looking for subtle ways to do them a bad turn. Changing rules to shake up their competitive environment (in a way that, as a bonus, looks like they're just going with their ideology and/or doing them a favor) would fit my expectations nicely.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Another day, another chip out of the rules and regulations that make us civil and decent to each other.
ORLY?
Seems to me that, before the regulation was put into place there was an era of competition, and after it there has been nothing but nearly monolithic consolidation.
Seems to me that, if the intent was actually to produce news competition or sweep back a tide of anticompetitive collusion and consolidation, it had either failed miserably or (like the "fairness doctrine") worked to the detriment of what it was supposed to accomplish.
In either case - useless or counter-productive - it should be eliminated.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
The Sinclair Group is celebrating it's successful lobbying of Pai and support of Trump today.
They now can proceed with their master plan to buy up as much of the Radio, TV, and Newspaper industry as they can (and with the billionaire Smith family behind them they can buy up a LOT.)
Their stated plan is to create a vertically integrated media empire to challenge FOX News from the far-right and to indoctrinate America in the Smith family's fundamentalist Neo-Fascist/Christian Dominionist viewpoint with onerous contracts that include numerous "must run" segments and editorial controls that make FOX look like Air America.
Welcome to the new Oligarchy where several conservative billionaires control 75% of the media Americans get their news from.
This is the end-game that was started in 1973 months after Nixon was forced to resign. The Conservative Cabal decided "if you can't beat 'em, BUY THEM." and set out to overturn the 1934 FCC rules that bared cross-market ownership of multiple media. It got a big boost in the Reagan Administration with the demise of the "Fairness Doctrine" and an even bigger boost in the 1996 Telecom Act that loosened ownership rules (that enabled FOX to be created as what it is today.) The odious SCOTUS decision in the "Citizens United" case codified the idea that Money=Speech and now, this is the final stroke to remove practically all ownership regulations and allow Money=Speech to dominate and create outright Propaganda Empires.
ALso, next week, the FCC gives the deathstroke to the Internet by killing the "Net Neutrality" rules, and pay-to-play becomes the rule of the Internet.
America, it was fun while it lasted.
"We must stop the federal government from intervening in the MONOPOLY business," Pai told a congressional panel. I bet he also tried to gas the jedi sent to negotiate with him.
good decision make all thing Gesture Lock Screen
Yay, AShit Pie will squeeze out another turd of a ruling.
'He who has to break a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.' -- Gandalf to Saruman