• by Wayne Friedman , December 7, 2007

Tribune isn't interested in temporary waivers on the cross-ownership of its newspapers and TV stations in the same market--it wants permanent solutions.

Tribune and Sam Zell, the prospective buyer of Tribune at $8.2 billion, wanted a permanent waiver by the FCC so the media company can keep its TV stations and newspapers in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Hartford and South Florida. But the FCC only gave a permanent waiver in Chicago for its TV and radio station, WGN and WGN-AM, and its Chicago Tribune newspaper. The FCC rejected waivers in the other markets.

Hot on the heels of the House committee's rebuke of the Federal Communications Commission, Tribune has decided to launch its own salvo by filing an appeal of the FCC decision and its cross-ownership rules, saying the rules are in violation of the First and Fifth Amendment.

Newspaper executives say the rule is outdated, especially in light of thousands of new media platforms. Those executives complain that cross-ownership rules were put together some 30 years ago when there was no Internet and a tiny cable TV marketplace.

The FCC and consumers groups say the current rules are intended to ensure a diversity of voices--especially when it comes to local market newscasts. The FCC temporary proposal only focused on the top 20 markets, specifically concerning a struggling TV station that is not among the local market's top-four-rated outlets. It would allow cross-ownership in smaller markets below the top 20, where it would be a benefit to communities.

Earlier in the week, House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) on Monday announced that he is investigating Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin's management of the agency for at least the past year.