Dec 9, 2002

The Newspaper Guild-CWA is joining with other activists to step up the fight against proposed Federal Communications Commission rule changes that would give a handful of corporate media giants even more power.

By further relaxing long-standing rules on media ownership, the FCC would dramatically reduce the few remaining independent voices in America's newspapers, TV and radio stations, as well as curb the free spirit of the Internet, activists say.

TNG-CWA is helping plan public hearings in New York on January 16 and in Los Angeles later in the month to draw attention to the pending changes. Michael Copps, a Democratic member of the FCC board who has broken ranks with FCC Chairman Michael Powell, called for the hearings. Even if Powell doesn't attend, Copps said there would be a quorum of commissioners on hand.

The Guild, a leader in the fight for media diversity, co-sponsored a forum in October that raised serious questions about the effect of media consolidation on free speech. "One of the most important things we have to do is help people understand how fundamental this issue is to our
democracy and to their access to credible information," TNG-CWA President Linda Foley said.

Now the FCC is considering further relaxation of the following rules:

*** The broadcast-newspaper cross-ownership rule. The rule has prohibited the two key sources of information in a community, the daily newspaper and a broadcast TV station, from being owned by the same company.

*** Local TV multiple ownership rule and the radio/TV cross-ownership rule. The rules place some limits on the number of stations that any one company can own in a single community.

*** National TV ownership rule. The policy limits the number of TV stations a single company can own. The current limit bars a company from controlling stations that collectively reach 35 percent of all TV households.

*** Dual Network Rule, preventing one of the four major networks - ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox from buying another network.