Monday: Live Chat With FCC Commissioner Copps

Here in the High Country, you can listen to Rush, Hannity, Dobson, and Boortz on the radio. The first three are all solidly on the right. Boortz is a "libertarian." Are we somehow to believe that these shows present the full range of competing viewpoints which are so essential to a functioning democracy? All of the radio stations in the Boone/Blowing Rock/Banner Elk/Newland/and Jefferson are owned by the same company.

Similarly, you can read the Watauga Democrat, Blowing Rocket, Mountain Times (Watauga & Ashe Counties), Avery Journal, and All About Women--all of which are owned by the same company.

Are you seeing a pattern here? Local media consolidation has resulted in watered-down journalism, and less inclusion of diverse points of view. Voices and issues that need to be heard are shut out--not because they are unimportant to the community--but because they are not profitable enough. Because they are not profitable enough, they are assumed to be irrevelant.

If you are concerned about the state of local media in the High Country, and about the FCC's new effort to allow still more media consolidation, you can discuss your concerns LIVE with FCC Commissioner Michael Copps during an on-line chat this coming Monday at 7:00 p.m. Take a moment to check it out. Here are the details, from freepress.net:

What: Live Chat with Commissioner Copps
Date: Monday, Oct. 29
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT
Location: www.freepress.net/action