Congress Blog Posts
Who's Afraid of Rupert Murdoch?
The answer: the Federal Communications Commission and Congress.
While the media mogul was called before Parliament and hammered by regulators in the United Kingdom, few in the halls of U.S. power are willing to call News Corp. to account for the “culture of corruption” that has spread through its media empire.
How Will Murdoch's U.K. Implosion Be Felt in the U.S.?
A scathing report in Britain that Rupert Murdoch and other News Corp. executives engaged in an extensive cover-up of “rampant law breaking” may have ramifications for the media mogul in the United States.
How far-reaching those consequences are depends on U.S. politicians’
willingness to face down one of the most powerful media figures of our
generation.
Making Community Radio a Reality
This is the story of what happens after a bill becomes a law.
In this case it is the story of the Local Community Radio Act. Or as we like to call it, “The Little Bill That Could (Even When It Seemed Like It Couldn’t).”
Public Television: We're #1!
For the ninth year in a row, public television has ranked as the most trusted institution in America, trumping all other forms of media, the courts and the federal government.
No Cuts to Public Media in the Next Budget
If you’re like me, you’re used to hearing “This program was made possible by supporters like you” at the end of NPR and PBS shows. But this year those words take on a special significance.
Thanks to an incredible outpouring of support from people all across the country, public media survived the most serious political attacks in Congress it has faced in years. Repeated efforts to pass bad bills, sneak through dangerous cuts and undermine the fundamental structure of public media failed thanks to the hard work of activists and fans who wrote to Congress, called their policymakers and even showed up in Washington, D.C., to make their voices heard.
FCC Ignores Public by Pushing Failed Ownership Policies
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission proposed rules that would further weaken media ownership limits for local newspapers and broadcast stations. The agency's proposal is strikingly similar to one adopted in 2007 under former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. Those rules were met with overwhelming public opposition from across the country, as well as from bipartisan leaders in Congress, and were thrown out by a federal appeals court last summer.
Music to Industry's Ears
The last time I scanned through my local radio dial, I heard the same pop song, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” playing simultaneously on three different radio stations. If a couple of senators and their friends in the broadcast industry have their way, soon we could hear the same song on six or more stations.
Public Media on the Chopping Block -- Or Not
The federal appropriations for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are determined two years in advance to help insulate the CPB from congressional budget bickering. But now we are confronted with the odd paradox that one part of Congress — the Super Committee that grew out of the debt-ceiling debate — is likely debating cuts to public broadcasting even as a Senate subcommittee this week approved an increased budget for 2014.
Current.org reported this week that “If CPB survives 'til [2014], it would receive $445 million, the same as appropriated for fiscal years 2012 and 2013 but $6 million below President Obama's request.”
Change the Channels
Check out the interactive map to see consolidating newsrooms near you.
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