Diversity Blog Posts
Collaboration, Competition and Consolidation: Where Is the Line?
Many of the same technological changes and economic pressures that have driven the development of collaborative journalism are also driving media consolidation. In both cases, proponents argue that benefits include reducing overhead costs and pooling resources to provide quality journalism to the community.
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.
Local News Outlets Employing Fewer Minorities
There’s no denying the moments that make us cringe when we watch TV news. Between the vapid punditry about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor to the unhealthy obsession with Jon and Kate’s relationship, it can be difficult to feel good about what is on the screen.
It turns out that what’s happening behind the cameras is equally cringe-inducing. According to a recent RTNDA/Hofstra study, the diversity of the news work force at our local television and radio stations has slipped.
Change the Channels
Check out the interactive map to see consolidating newsrooms near you.
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