FCC's Copps airs opposition to Tribune deal

FCC'S COPPS AIRS OPPOSITION TO TRIBUNE DEAL
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune 9/28, AUTHOR: Phil Rosenthal]
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps indicated Thursday he hopes to be a roadblock to Tribune Co.'s plan to go private by year's end, or at the very least will be a speed bump to the transaction. Commissioner Copps' shot across Tribune Co.'s bow came a week after FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, told the Chicago Tribune's editorial board that he saw "many positive aspects" of Tribune's cross-ownership in this city. Later that same day, however, the FCC staged a public hearing in Chicago on media ownership rules, where opposition to media consolidation and calls for greater minority representation were heard. Whether Copps, vocal as he is, can be persuasive enough to advance his views is far from certain. But he may just want to slow things enough so the new media rules expected next year are delayed past the 2008 elections. When FCC rule revisions were overturned four years ago, the court upheld the commission's move to get rid of its absolute ban on media cross-ownership. That gives Shaun Sheehan, Tribune's vice president for Washington Affairs, confidence. "When it came to my issue, the court said the commission pretty much got it right," he said. "Given those things, I remain optimistic. ... If Tribune is required to spin off its pieces, a lot of superior broadcast stations would be sold and I don't see how that would serve the public interest."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri_phil0928sep28,0,5560212.c...

* FCC's Copps: I'd Block Tribune TV License Renewals
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