Around the Net

Traditional Media Urges Relaxed Regulations In Digital Age

Traditional media's giants have a legitimate gripe: their new media endeavors remain tied down by Federal Communications Commission regulations, while aerodynamic Web companies are allowed to innovate and expand as they please.

"Four years ago, when the FCC last reviewed its broadcast-ownership rules, the YouTube.com domain name had not even been registered, the first Windows version of the audio iPod was just rolling out, Google was only a search engine, cable companies sold primarily video packages, and telephone companies sold primarily voice service," CBS wrote in its filing.

Things have changed. As a result, big media wants the FCC to erase rules limiting the common ownership of multiple broadcast outlets and newspapers and TV stations in local markets. For these companies, there exists a single-audience reach ceiling of 39% in bigger markets. Compare that to Google's 60% reach in search and, now, video.

But search is neither content nor news. Mark Cooper, a director of the Consumer Federation of America, in opposition to more media consolidation, wrote: "Stations that consolidate don't produce more news, they produce less. And diversity of news and opinion from the most influential media declines."

Read the whole story at The Hollywood Reporter »

Next story loading loading..