Join us at 10 a.m. for the FCC’s showdown with the Senate Commerce Committee. The hearing comes one day after Democratic Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps pilloried Chairman Kevin Martin’s plan to allow one company to control a newspaper and television or radio station in the same city as: “a mish-mash of half-baked ideas.”
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Liveblogging The Media Consolidation Showdown Between The FCC And The Senate Commerce Committee
By 12.13.07
Liveblogging The Media Consolidation Showdown Between The FCC And The House Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee
By 12.5.07
Starting today at 9:30 a.m. the House will drag FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and his colleagues before the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee to explain their misguided and widely-criticized media consolidation plan that would allow one company to control several radio and television stations in the same city. The hearing comes two days after John Dingell (D-MI,) who will be chairing the hearing, accused Martin of abusing his power and intentionally keeping his fellow Commissioners in the dark. Just yesterday, the Senate Commerce Committee voted to ban the FCC from moving forward with their planned vote until they first complete a comprehensive study of broadcasters’ commitment to local news and ownership opportunities for women and minorities.
Media Consolidation Is Bad For Everyone
By 11.4.07
Bill Moyers produced an excellent segment on media consolidation and its disproportionate impact on minorities. African Americans and Hispanics account for over a quarter of the population, but own just 33 of the nation’s 1,350 television stations, and only 6% of radio stations. According to Melody Spann-Cooper, owner of Chicago’s only black-owned radio station:
Radio has moved from being in the business of empowering and educating people to Wall Street, to making money. And that’s not the big corporate conglomerates, you know, that’s not their fault. They were allowed to do this.
FCC Chairman To Relax Media Ownership Rules
By 10.20.07
Media conglomerates are preparing to feast on a banquet of local media outlets thanks to a resurrected proposal from FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. The Chairman wants to relax decades-old rules that bar media companies from owning both a newspaper and TV or radio station in the same local market. A similar proposal was presciently struck down three years ago by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Currently, a company can own two television stations in the larger markets only if at least one is not among the four largest stations and if there are at least eight local stations. The rules also limit the number of radio stations that a company can own to no more than eight in each of the largest markets.
New York Times To Discontinue Times Select
By 9.18.07
Yay! Free New York Times! The NYT will discontinue its pay wall tomorrow, freeing the opinions of various smart people to roam the internet unchecked by that pesky $7.95 per month subscription fee. Oh, happy day.
Newspaper's Error Confuses, Angers JetBlue Customers
By 9.17.07
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote an article about JetBlue’s 1 year anniversary in Pittsburgh. In honor of that momentous occasion, JetBlue was offering a heck of a deal. TrueBlue members could “reserve a flight leaving Pittsburgh between June 26 and Nov. 15 and complete that reservation no later than June 30,” and by doing so earn a free flight.
Get Free Access To Times Select Using Your College Email Address
By 5.31.07
If you have access to your college email address, you can get access to the New York Times “Select” articles from their archive without those pesky five-dolla charges.
Put Down Your #2 Pencils And Use Your .EDU Email To Get Free TimesSelect
By 3.20.07
The time is now, use your .edu email to access TimesSelect, the subscription section of the New York Times. It’s free for students and teachers. Yay!—MEGHANN MARCO
Google Goes to Print
By 11.6.06
If you’ve been fretting over your favorite newspaper’s inevitible demise (thanks, Internet!)… never fear! Google is set to begin offering print ads in 50 newspapers as a test to see how far it can extend itself into offline media.
