Civil rights and rural groups rush to endorse XM/Sirius merger

CIVIL RIGHTS AND RURAL GROUPS RUSH TO ENDORSE XM/SIRIUS MERGER
[SOURCE: Lasar's Letter on the FCC, AUTHOR: Matthew Lasar]
Even before the Federal Communications Commission invited public comment on Friday on the proposed XM/Sirius satellite radio merger, the Hispanic Federation weighed in. Although the advocacy group "takes concerns relating to media concentration and mergers seriously," in this case it would make an exception. "For the most part, the mainstream media companies offer very limited music and entertainment programming targeted to the Hispanic community," federation President Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez wrote to the FCC on June 5th. "Satellite radio, by contrast, does provide sought after programming, such as CNN en Espanol, ESPN Deportes, and Mexico Canta." Ditto for the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Latino Coalition, and the League of Rural Voters. They all support the merger; they all fear that without it, satellite radio will fail. All these organizations touch on the same theme in their filings: the consolidation of traditional free radio has left minorities out of the programming loop. Out in the hinterland, there isn't even much of a loop to speak of.
http://www.lasarletter.net/drupal/node/408