Covert Consolidation Blog Posts
Tucson Media Monopoly Takes Root
UPDATE: Today marks the beginning of a local media monopoly in Tucson, Ariz. Exploiting loopholes in the Federal Communications Commission’s ownership rules, Raycom Media has taken control of three local stations: KMSB, KOLD and KTTU. The stations are now co-branded as “Tucson News Now” and they operate out of the same studio (about 40 employees lighter than before).
The Public's Right to Know
In the media reform world, we often say we’re fighting for “better” media. Of course, “better” is the sort of word that begs comparison: better than what? If we’re to demand more of our local broadcasters, we need to know what’s wrong with the status quo.
Broadcasters use the public airwaves free of charge, and in return are supposed to provide programming that fulfills the news and information needs of communities. The Federal Communications Commission requires broadcasters to keep public files detailing exactly how they serve local needs. But these records are generally kept in file cabinets at local TV stations and are not easily accessible. So the pressure is on for broadcasters to put these files online in a publicly searchable database.
The FCC's Ownership Review Marks a Critical Chance to Turn the Tide
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Our local media outlets are being stripped for parts. Aided by decades of bad policymaking, the large companies that control most of the broadcast outlets across the country are laying off local DJs, shuttering local newsrooms and inching ever closer toward creating monopolies in local marketplaces. The more media outlets consolidate, the more our diverse local media is being replaced by faceless, automated infotainment. If it’s true that the media influences and shapes our culture, then we’re headed down a path to uniformity, where cheap centralized content replaces diverse local voices and quality programming.
Proposals under consideration in Washington, D.C. this year could help communities reclaim local airwaves, but they could just as easily play into the hands of the content mills. The proposals, and the processes for adopting them, are complicated and hard to navigate. So we decided to break down exactly what’s at stake, and why it’s essential for all of us to speak up for media that serves our communities, not corporations.
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.
Congress to the FCC: Protect the Public Interest
The Federal Communications Commission is still mulling proposed changes to the rules that protect the public from media monopolies. But reports that the agency is considering handouts to broadcasters have compelled dozens of organizations to remind the FCC that its policies must benefit the public.
End the Big Broadcast Swindle
Television and radio broadcasters get to use our public airwaves for free. It’s a great deal … for them, at least. For the rest of us, it’s just another corporate giveaway.
These broadcasters rake in billions in profits using our public property. And what do we the public get from them in return? Next to nothing.
Tucson Falls Victim to Covert Consolidation
Raycom Media has taken control of three TV stations in Tucson in a covert consolidation deal. The new virtual triopoly will result in dozens of layoffs, as local anchor Lou Raguse noted on the air yesterday.
When Raycom takes over operations of Belo-owned KMSB and KTTU, Raycom’s station KOLD will produce all of the news for the three stations. "KOLD will, by contract, provide certain services to support the operations of KMSB and KTTU, including producing local news in high definition, in-depth weather, traffic and sports, and website administration,” said a Belo spokesperson in an email to Broadcasting & Cable.
Airing Industry's Dirty Laundry
This is big. Yesterday our campaign to uncover covert media consolidation in communities around the country made the New York Times.
This chronically ignored crisis is getting a national spotlight. And it would never have happened had it not been for the thousands of activists who spoke out against the practice of covert consolidation and helped us document its impact on local news broadcasts across the country.
Transparency Is Not a Four-Letter Word
Everyone loves transparency. (For me, it brings to mind those “The More You Know” public service announcements). And as FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn put it at October’s FCC open meeting, “Disclosure and transparency: words that inspire confidence, increase the public’s trust and convey good faith. We’re seeing, hearing and focusing more and more each day on ways to enhance these efforts in both our public- and private-sector engagement.”
What's Your Local TV Station Hiding?
Broadcasters use the public airwaves for free in exchange for a commitment to serve and inform their communities. If you want to know exactly what your local broadcasters are doing to meet those public-interest obligations, the best place to look is their public files.
Unfortunately, public files are currently difficult to access, requiring curious residents to drive down to the station during business hours. In large media markets, a trip to view the public file could mean traveling over 100 miles.
Change the Channels
Check out the interactive map to see consolidating newsrooms near you.
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