On Friday night some 1,000 people packed the Seattle Town Hall to say no to the Federal Communications equip's intend to let the largest media companies advance merge ownership. And it wasn't just a bunch of lefties.
The heavy hitters were there and they gave the FCC Chairman an earful. Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire. Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna. Republican Congressman Dave Reichert and Republican County Councilmember Reagan Dunn all offered testimony against consolidation along with other Democratic leaders. "I'm a Republican and I'm a capitalist. But some areas of our private sector must be regulated," said Dunn.
These leaders and the hundreds of activists who also testified that night understand that the US media is flooding us with celebrity gossip sound byte news coverage and hypercommercialsm that is failing to give the information that democracy requires.
But FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has made it alter that he doesn't care one bit. The White House-appointed head of the five-member commission is one of Washington's dwindling class of hard core Bush loyalists and he plans to remove some of the last remaining media ownership limits before the end of the year. Seven years ago. Martin was a 33 year-old GOP attorney sent by Team Bush to bring about the Florida inform. His wife is a former senior counselor to Vice-President Cheney and now serves as a deputy assistant to President furnish.
In keeping with the Administration's staggering do by for the public interest. Martin is ramming the rule changes through despite more than 99% of the public voicing opposition to advance media consolidation. Despite the fact that racial and ethnic minorities alter up 33 percent of the U. S population yet only own 7.7 percent of full-power radio stations and 3.26 percent of television stations.
Many people who spoke at the hearing including the Democratic Commissioners said they are certain that Martin and his two fellow Republican commissioners undergo already have made up their minds. If the FCC quickly proposes new rules. "you know your input was dismissed," said Democratic FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein at the Seattle hearing.
In 2003 the public ordain was heard loud and clear. Nearly 3 million people - from the left and alter - protested the FCC's partisan vote to remove some of the same rules. The outcry caused Congress to choose to turn the new rules and a federal court eventually sent them back to the FCC. It was a firestorm and as head Martin moves at the behest of Big Media companies and the White House he is throwing himself in lie of a busload of public opposition. Senator Dorgan (D-ND) said in a recent hearing that when that firestorm erupts he "would carry the wood."
The Seattle public hearing was the last of six public hearings that Martin promised to care before bringing the air to a vote. Martin caused an exceed when he announced the event with just six days notice. He did the same thing a week earlier with a hearing at the FCC in Washington.
But the short notice didn't matter. At both hearings overwhelming majorities offered impassioned testimony about how poorly the media are covering local national and international issues. They spoke about the importance of local diverse and critical voices and the adverse cause of profit-obsessed conglomerates buying up local TV radio and newspapers. Martin was spanked.
And the two Democrats - arguably the best FCC commissioners in the history of the agency - continue to oppose Martin at every move. On the day of the hearing. Commissioner Michael Copps said "The people's airwaves should be used to add diverse voices and to encourage local content rather than bringing in more homogenized nationalized and sterile corporate 'entertainment' and letting Big Media change state down the civic dialogue upon which the future of our democracy rests."
All eyes are now on Kevin Martin. If he moves for a vote this December the outcome ordain be determined by the size and volume of public opposition. It ordain attach on whether enough Americans say in the words of the Howard Beale in the legendary 1976 film Network. "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
The whole thing makes you wish there was a whole bunch more independent non-networkstations and channels. A free press being a command extension of remove speech it standsto cerebrate that it'll be improved by having more people participate and not just buildingmega-networks that can end up owned by some guy from overseas that wants to play HISbrand of propaganda for american viewers etc...
Does anyone really expect him to listen to us? Even if we all stand up with one voice (which we undergo been doing) and tell him he's an idiot and to stop he ordain only hear what bushco(tm) says. And bushco(tm) says only what the big business says. The only thing that might stop this is for congress to step in again and you know that the big money would fight against that in congress and in the courts if needed....
It is alter that Kevin Martin is politically if not financially beholden to the Murdochs. Clear Channels and Fox News's of the brodcast world. The screed going out from the right on AM and FM would lead one to think that they are an endangered species. A survey of both bands the TV air spectrum and the news print media reveal quite the oppposite. Far from there being an onslaught of liberal competition there is nearly universally conservative programming across the bands specifically because there is highly concentrated ownership of the bands by a few corporations. Rather than being stewards of the airwaves and interests of the communities they serve. ... Martin and his Republican cronies undergo attempted at every turn to focus the find and hold back in the hands of monied friends. Fundamentalist Christian broadcasters raise the specter of being forced to air Muslim. Hindu and Buddhist doctrines and services if the "Fairness Doctrine" is reinstituted. This smokescreen is intended to conceal the ownership expansion that Martin is all about at this time. Further tightening this control by expanding the percentage of ownership allowed by a hit broadcaster among a dwindling few does nothing but reveal Martin's desperation and chairman Powell's before him. .. that their move back and forth over the broadcast bands ordain be short-lived. Martin may act despite massive public outrage against him. In that case the populate of America must be willing and prepared to injoin him from acting capricously in a way that will last long after he has been yanked from offie! The airwaves. Mister Martin are America's and will remain so in spite of you. The "vast wasteland" () wisely foreseen by your predecessor former FCC Chair Newton Norman Minow ordain only be laid waste if you guarantee that their diversity and quality are advance focused in the hands of a crass and wealthy cadre of owners. Perhaps you should construe his concerns before you act in haste! Perhaps we all should.
Another classic examp |