Our Company Media Town

Looks like we may have to hold off on that contest to name the new media empire in the High Country--for now (see prior post below).

The FCC may be forced by an upcoming bill to actually listen to public opinion about the wisdom of allowing still more media consolidation--instead of sneakily trying to slip a new set of rules through because they want to "wrap things up."

Localism is a very important issue--it has everything to do with the access that the public is given to the public airwaves, as well as the extent of local ownership (or lack thereof) of the radio, tv, and newspaper outlets in a particular city or town. Significantly, the bill being drafted is bipartisan, something that indicates how vital the issue of media consolidation has become to the American public:

Media-consolidation critic Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) is working quickly with other like-minded legislators, likely including Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), on a bill dealing with media-ownership rules the Federal Communications Commission is currently reviewing.

...

The bill's likely goal would be to delay that process until the FCC came up with separate proposals and sought sufficient public comment on issues including the effect of consolidation on broadcast localism...

...

On learning of Martin's plan, Dorgan, who has long pushed the commission to deal with localism as a separate issue, said Wednesday that if that were the case, there would be a "firestorm of protest, and I will be carrying the wood." Apparently, that wood is the "big stick" of legislation.

Full article here.