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In FCC Filing, Communications Workers Cite Continuing Need to Curb Media Concentration 'To Preserve

WASHINGTON – There is "overwhelming evidence" showing that current restrictions on media concentration and cross-ownership are needed to preserve a vibrant free press, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) stated in comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission late yesterday.

CWA cited first-hand reports from some of its 100,000 members working directly in the news media as well as analysis from numerous academic studies as it concluded that media concentration already has diminished the quality of news gathering and the diversity of viewpoints represented in the media.

In response to the FCC's call for input on the question of consolidating its existing rules, CWA proposed guidelines for creating a single rule governing local media ownership, while also urging the commission to retain the separate rule prohibiting mergers among the top four broadcast networks.

CWA's filing was made in conjunction with its media affiliates, The Newspaper Guild-CWA, the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA, and the CWA Printing Sector representing newspaper production employees. The union represents 700,000 workers overall in communications and other fields.

CWA media professionals "know first-hand what is happening in this industry," the union stated: "They witness a decline in news quality, diversity, and competition that is a direct result of the economic pressures from the enormous consolidation and concentration of media ownership that has taken place. They find it harder to practice their craft in an environment of reduced staffing and fewer resources…. They know that who owns the media outlet is the final arbiter as to what gets printed, broadcast, or posted on an Internet news site. They are convinced that relaxation of media ownership rules that would permit further consolidation and concentration of ownership into fewer hands will reduce their professional ability to provide high-quality news from diverse and antagonistic sources."

The union's filing includes quotes from several CWA newspaper reporters describing the chilling effect of media cross-ownership, such as this one from a TV columnist: "When the Nielsen TV ratings come out, I know I am expected to write a big story if the co-owned station's ratings are good and to bury the story if the co-owned station's ratings are down."

CWA also noted that growing media cross-ownership has contributed to "neglect of (coverage of) labor issues, and sometimes the outright refusal to air ads paid for by labor organizations because they might antagonize advertisers." CWA cited several examples -- including the ABC national radio network and local stations ranging from Dallas to Little Rock to Cleveland – where the union was blocked from airing its viewpoint during labor disputes with media organizations.

If the FCC considers consolidating some its media ownership rules, CWA proposed an alternate framework for a unified local media ownership rule: "The framework would consider newspaper, television, and radio as separate and distinct local markets; analyze market concentration in each of these separate and distinct markets; prohibit combinations where the distinct local product market implicated in a proposed combination is already concentrated or would result in a concentrated market; permit combinations in unconcentrated markets with the burden of proof on the merging parties to demonstrate that the combination is in the public interest; and finally, would require that commonly owned media outlets maintain separate newsrooms and editorial staff."

CWA is working with a coalition including consumer groups, other unions and the AFL-CIO, which filed its own comments yesterday, in working to preserve restraints on further media concentration.

The full text of CWA's comments can be found at: www.saveourmedia.org.


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