PACIFICA FOUNDATION GOVERNING BOARD UNANIMOUSLY PASSES RESOLUTION
ON FCC MEDIA OWNERSHIP PROPOSALS
December 11, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 11) -- At its December meeting in
Washington, D.C., the Pacifica governing board expressed alarm
at Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) proposals to eliminate media ownership caps for radio,
television and cable companies.
"[W]hat will it matter that some Americans will be able
to access hundreds of radio and television stations if most
are owned by a few corporations?" declared a statement
unanimously passed by the board on Sunday, December 8th. "Democracy
means a diversity of media owners, not an overflow of channels
and Web sites offering roughly the same formats and political
viewpoints,"
The FCC is considering relaxing most of its media ownership
requirements, including:
- a national cap preventing broadcasting corporations from
owning enough stations to reach over 35% of the national audience
- a cap preventing cable corporations from reaching over 30%
of the audience
- a rule blocking broadcasters from owning a newspaper and
a TV station in the same major market
- a rule blocking the major networks from merging with each
other
The Pacifica board statement also noted the impact of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, which allows corporations
to buy an unlimited number of radio stations nationally, and
up to eight stations in major regional markets. The law resulted
in radio station behemoths like the Clear Channel Corporation
(which now owns at least 1,200 stations), and a troubling
decline in local programming.
"This trend has placed the burden for local access radio
on the Pacifica stations and the nation's community radio
system," the Pacifica board's statement continued. "We
are happy to do our part, but it is a task for which all station
owners should be responsible, since the airwaves belong to
the public."
The Pacifica board urged the network's five radio stations
to provide as much coverage of the FCC issue as possible.
A contact list of progressive experts on FCC license ownership
issues can be found at http://www.lasarletter.com/fcctalk.
Pacifica radio is five listener-supported FM stations: KPFA-FM
in Berkeley; KPFK-FM in Los Angeles; KPFT-FM in Houston; WBAI-FM
in New York City; and WPFW-FM in Washington, D.C. The Foundation's
Web site can be found at http://www.pacifica.org.
--END--
________________________
Statement of the Pacifica Governing Board regarding
the Federal Communication Commission's impending hearings
on media ownership rules.
Passed unanimously by the board on Sunday, December 8, 2002
The Pacifica Governing Board wishes to express deep concern
over the Federal Communications Commission's plans to abandon
its media ownership rules. The Commission has reluctantly
agreed to hold hearings in Richmond, Virginia, in February
2003 before changing the rules. But it appears that key commissioners
have already made up their minds about the matter, and are
poised to eliminate the following regulations:
- a national cap preventing broadcasting corporations from
owning enough stations to reach over 35% of the national audience
- a cap preventing cable corporations from reaching over 30%
of the audience
- a rule blocking broadcasters from owning a newspaper and
a TV station in the same major market
- even a rule blocking the major networks from merging with
each other
The FCC claims that new broadband technologies have made
present ownership caps irrelevant. But what will it matter
that some Americans will be able to access hundreds of radio
and television stations if most are owned by a few corporations?
Democracy means a diversity of media owners, not an overflow
of channels and Web sites offering roughly the same formats
and political viewpoints.
We have already seen the impact of the Telecommunications
Act of 1996, which allows corporations to buy an unlimited
number of radio stations nationally, and up to 8 stations
in major regional markets. The act resulted in the creation
of broadcasting giants like the Clear Channel Corporation,
and a troubling decline in what little local programming existed
in commercial radio. Many radio stations now have completely
automated programming schedules. Some estimate that the Telecommunications
Act has eliminated as many as 10,000 jobs from the broadcasting
industry.
This trend has placed the burden for local access radio
on the Pacifica stations and the nation's community radio
system. We are happy to do our part, but it is a task for
which all station owners should be responsible, since the
airwaves belong to the public. We are alarmed that the Commission
is now even considering eliminating the regional ownership
cap of 8 radio stations.
We encourage the staffs of Pacifica's five radio stations
to provide as much coverage on this issue as possible and
to help raise public awareness on what is at stake. We hope
that the network's five Local Advisory Boards will also pass
resolutions against these FCC proposals. Most important, we
urge the public to contact their representatives in Congress
and the FCC at their Web site, http://www.fcc.gov,
and tell the Commission how they feel about these proposed
changes.
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