NIGHTLINE: The Public Interest and the Public Airwaves

(Forwarded from Interesting People list)

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [IP] NIGHTLINE: The Public Interest and the PublicAirwaves
Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 20:05:00 -0400
From: Dave Farber <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]


>Importance: Normal
>Sensitivity:
>To: [email protected], [email protected]
>Subject: Fw: NIGHTLINE: The Public Interest and the Public Airwaves
>X-Mailer: Lotus Notes Release 6.0 September 26, 2002
>From: Peter G Capek <[email protected]>
>
>
>
>
>It's good to see this issue finally getting some air time on non-NPR 
>venues.    Actually, there was some coverage in the NY Times, too, to be fair.
>
>Peter G. Capek
>IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center
>Yorktown Heights, NY   10598-0218
>(+1 914) 945-1250       IBM Tieline: 8-862-1250            Fax:  X 4426
>---------------------- Forwarded by Peter G Capek/Watson/IBM on 05/28/2003 
>06:13 PM ---------------------------
>
>Please respond to [email protected]
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>Subject:        NIGHTLINE: The Public Interest and the Public Airwaves
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>
>Nightline Daily E-Mail
>May 28
>
>TONIGHT'S FOCUS: With little to no public debate, the Federal 
>Communications Commission is poised to approve a massive rewriting of the 
>rules governing ownership of television stations and other media.  What's 
>at stake? Should you be worried? A lot of people, from the National Rifle 
>Association to the National Organization for Women, think you should be 
>concerned. Very concerned.
>
>Have you noticed that radio stations sound more and more alike these days? 
>They seem to be operating from the same song lists. Well, that's because 
>many of them are. Seven years ago the FCC loosened the restrictions on the 
>number of radio stations that a corporation may own, and today there are 
>30% fewer radio station owners. One such owner, Clear Channel, grew from 
>43 stations, to nearly 1200 stations in that time. Fewer independently 
>owned radio stations = more homogenous sounding radio.
>
>So what? You can always buy CDs, right? Well, the problem is even more 
>troubling to critics than just artistic censorship, which is troubling 
>enough on its own.  Diversity of opinions, competition and the news 
>marketplace are elements of our democracy that we sometimes take for 
>granted. Without such freedom of ideas, what will we lose? Its hard to say 
>what will happen, but many people are worried, including some strange 
>bedfellows, such as the National Rifle Association and the National 
>Organization for Women.
>
>The FCC is likely to approve changes next week for television that are 
>similar to the ones it approved six years ago for radio. These changes 
>would lift many of the restrictions on ownership of media, including local 
>television stations, newspapers, cable and broadcast networks. A single 
>corporate owner, currently limited in the number of media outlets it can 
>own in a single market, will be freed to buy more.   Supporters of these 
>changes — including the Disney Corporation, which owns ABC News — argue 
>that the looser regulations will benefit both stockholders of media 
>companies, as well as their consumers.  They argue that such measures will 
>allow smaller media organizations to stay afloat during a harsh economic 
>climate.
>
>ABC's Lisa Stark will look at the FCC's proposed changes and the potential 
>impacts it may have on communities and individuals. She'll describe one 
>community in North Dakota, where the radio stations are nearly all owned 
>by the same corporation and the old adage "in the event of an emergency, 
>tune to your local radio station," was an empty promise.
>
>Ted Koppel will talk with FCC Chairman Michael Powell about the proposed 
>changes.
>
>We hope you'll join us.
>
>Sara Just and the Nightline Staff
>ABCNEWS Washington bureau
>
>
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