Media consolidation is hazardous to your democracy, but there is something you can do about it.
Clear cutting
By
Jay Heck
Since passage of the little-noticed 1996 Telecommunications Act lifted the cap on the number of radio stations a company can own, one media giant, Clear Channel Communications Inc., has acquired 1,200 radio stations, 700,000 billboards and 130 concert venues. The result has been homogenized radio play lists, greater difficulty for new artists to get heard, pressure on artists to appear at Clear Channel venues, and one-size-fits-all entertainment and news from a company whose goal is to make money, not serve citizens.
Unfortunately, history is repeating itself. On June 2, 2003, the Federal Communications Commission relaxed ownership rules for other media companies already loosened under the 1996 law. The 3 to 2 FCC vote—which was undertaken with virtually no public notice—opens the door for television and newspapers to build the same kind of consolidation radio has.
Examples of consolidation’s deleterious effect on radio are easy to find. After the Dixie Chicks criticized President Bush during a London performance earlier this year, some Clear Channel radio stations pulled the group's music from their play lists. The backlash against the Dixie Chicks included a CD smashing rally organized by Louisiana's KRMD, a station owned by Cumulus Media. The second largest radio broadcasting company in the United States, Cumulus Media blacklisted the Dixie Chicks from all of their stations' play lists.
After September 11, 2001, Clear Channel reportedly blacklisted a number of songs, including John Lennon's "Imagine" and Cat Stevens’ “Peace Train.” Clear Channel denies such action, claiming instead it asked its stations to be sensitive to listeners. But then earlier this year the New York Times indirectly linked Clear Channel to the sponsorship of a series of pro-war rallies called "Rally for America." Although Clear Channel has attempted to draw a distinction between the company and the rallies, they were promoted repeatedly by the company's widely syndicated radio personality, Glenn Beck.
So imagine the dramatic changes that could occur in the wake of the FCC vote to lift a longstanding ban prohibiting one company from owning a TV station and newspaper in the same market. Or imagine allowing one company in some markets to own up to three TV stations, one newspaper and up to eight radio stations; or one company to reach 45 percent of U.S. households, as opposed to 35 percent under the former rules. That is what the FCC voted to permit.
In Wisconsin, under the old rules, a minimum of seven companies could own all of the commercial television stations in Wisconsin, and they were prohibited from also owning radio stations or newspapers. Under the new rules, five companies could own all of the commercial television stations and still also own some radio stations and newspapers. Statewide, a single company could own up to eight television stations, up to 33 radio stations and several newspapers.
The Green Bay-Appleton and Madison markets would suffer the most consolidation under the new FCC rules. A single company could own up to one television station, one newspaper and three radio stations in either market; or up to two television stations and seven radio stations; or up to one newspaper and seven radio stations.
These changes will do more than affect play lists and reduce entertainment options on television. They threaten our very democracy, which depends on a competitive media that promotes many viewpoints and ideas to educate and engage citizens in government and society. We need more diversity on the public airwaves and in newspapers, not less.
The good news is that more than 2 million Americans rose up to oppose the FCC pro-consolidation rules. Congress has listened, and taken some steps to reverse what the FCC did. But the Bush administration and Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives is blocking the way for a complete reversal despite significant bipartisan support in Congress for doing just that.
On September 16, the U.S. Senate voted to roll back the misguided FCC rules by passing a resolution of disapproval. Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl was initially considered "undecided" on this issue because he was thought to not oppose "cross ownership" in a media market such as in Milwaukee, where Journal Sentinel Communications already owns the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WTMJ-AM radio and the most watched TV channel in the Milwaukee viewing area.
Common Cause In Wisconsin (CC/WI), the organization for which I work, is trying to get more citizens interested and engaged in this issue that stands to directly affect practically everyone. We went to work in the days before the Senate vote contacting Kohl’s office and sending out a legislative "alert" to CC/WI members to contact Kohl. Many CC/WI members did just that, and on September 16 Kohl joined Russ Feingold and a majority of the Senate to roll back the new FCC rules.
That action has now shifted to the U.S. House of Representatives. There, Republican speaker Dennis J. Hastert and House majority leader Tom Delay have blocked consideration of the resolution of disapproval that passed in the Senate. A rarely used procedural device called a "discharge petition" will be launched in January for House members to sign in order to force the House leadership to schedule the resolution of disapproval for a vote on the House floor. In order for this to happen, a majority of the House members—218—must sign the discharge petition to force the vote.
This fall, six of Wisconsin's eight House members signed a letter to Hastert asking him to schedule a vote on the FCC resolution. Now they must sign the discharge petition beginning in January to force a vote in early 2004. The two congressmen refusing to sign the letter to Hastert and thus favoring the new FCC rules were Rep. Paul Ryan and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner. All eight Wisconsin House members should be contacted and urged to sign the discharge petition. Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3123, and ask to be connected to your congressperson.
Clearly this issue of media consolidation and concentration has struck a chord of concern among an overwhelming number of American people and across the ideological spectrum. This fall’s victory in the Senate can be duplicated in the House early in 2004. These outrageous ownership rules can be rolled back if citizens let their members of Congress know of their concern and adamant opposition to having the flow of information controlled by ever fewer, larger corporations. Nothing less than the very foundation of our democracy is at stake.
(Heck can be reached at 608-256-2686 or by e-mail at ccwisjwh@itis.com. The CC/WI Web site address is www.commoncause.org/states/wisconsin.)
December 13, 2003
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Jay Heck lives in Madison and is executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin.
