Media War, Round II

MEDIA WAR, ROUND II
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] When Michael Powell, former head of the Federal Communications Commission, learned last week that his successor and sometime rival, Kevin Martin, plans to try to update the country's antiquated media ownership rules, his response was, "I admire his courage." Ours was: Better put on your helmet and shoulder pads. Relaxation of the rules had been urged by most of the broadcast networks and many large media companies, including Tribune Co., Gannett, New York Times Co. and News Corp., whose deal to purchase the publisher of this newspaper is pending. The new rule isn't expected to affect News Corp.'s acquisition of the Journal, but in any case these columns have long favored letting the free market determine the size of a company. The media concentration that has occurred and is likely to continue is a direct response to new technologies segmenting traditional outlets. As TV networks and newspapers have seen their viewers and readers decline, they've used consolidation to offset audience fragmentation. This has led not to monopolies but to a media landscape that is more diverse than ever. Americans have never had more news and entertainment options. If federal media ownership regulations are to encourage such dynamism rather than inhibit it, they need to be updated.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119327033034770631.html?mod=todays_us_op...
(requires subscription)

* Consumer Groups Close the Case Against Cross-Ownership (Free Press et al)
Free Press, Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union filed thousands of pages of comments Monday night blasting the Federal Communications Commission for its “inconsistent, incompetent and incoherent” attempts to skew official research in support of Chairman Kevin Martin’s dubious but foregone conclusions about media consolidation.
http://www.freepress.net/press/release.php?id=286