Senators Move To Block New Media Ownership Rules
from the didn't-last-long dept
The public outcry over the new FCC media ownership rules has been quite loud. So loud, that politicians are taking notice. A group of 35 Senators have banded together to use a little known law to overturn the FCC decision without getting it bogged down in committees. Meanwhile, a group of broadcasters are going to lobby Congress that this is a mistake, and they should accept the FCC's ruling. To be honest, I still think much of this (on both sides) is being overhyped. I haven't seen any clear explanation for why either set of ownership rules (35% or 45%) would do any serious harm (or benefit).
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Media Ownership
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Media Ownership
In radio, many people complain about the lack of selection and how every radio station sounds the same. Techdirt (and or slashdot) even had articles complaining about the selection of music on the radio forcing people to flock online for a radio station they enjoy.
With more media consolidation, I believe we will be seeing people complaining about lack of diversity.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
And, for that matter, just watch PBS. All the left-wing bias you want. If you want the other side, watch Fox. In other words, there are plenty of choices -- not to mention the Internet.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ownership rules
As for the poster who thinks that the Internet is sufficient -- hardly. Most people still get their news from a dead tree source and/or broadcast media. Yes, a number of people get news from the Internet, but it's not that common.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Ownership rules
- Newspaper subscriptions have been in freefall for several years
- Internet access has been steadily increasing for several years
- Satellite access has been steadily increasing for several years
A lot of comments here are thinking about the (hate to use the term) "old economy" way of disseminating information. The internet and other technologies are giving media consumers new ways of getting info (like this blog)
If you want left wing conspiracy theories - there are plenty of web sites and blogs. Don't have internet? Listen to Pacifica Radio. Read Mother Jones. There are plenty of choices out there, 'cause we live in a free-market economy where someone will produce goods if there is demand for it, including media goods (there are newspapers ranging from Spanish to Russian all available to those who want them).
> Most people still get their news from a dead
> tree source and/or broadcast media
Your main concern is that your particular point of view isn't getting out there. I haven't watched network, local or CNN in years and particularly despise Time Warner, but changing the ownership rules won't make them spew out my point of view. You need to find another solution to your problem, and new technologies have a way of getting around corporate structures and government mandates.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]