Consumer Groups Push Back on Martin Cross-Ownership Plan

CONSUMER GROUPS PUSH BACK ON MARTIN CROSS-OWNERSHIP PLAN
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union and Free Press filed new research at the Federal Communications Commission Wednesday finding that: 1) Cross-ownership crowds out the competition. The presence of a cross-owned station leads the other stations in the market to collectively curtail their news output by about 25%; 2) Cross-owned stations -- and markets with cross-owned stations -- don't produce more local news; and 3) Cross-owned stations produce slanted news in line with the editorial position of the co-owned newspaper. The groups argue that Chairman Martin's plan to lift the ban on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership in the top 20 markets, and only for stations not among the top-four rated, was a gutting of the rules, particularly given what they saw as a more liberal waiver policy for stations below that threshold.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6501203.html

* Cross-Ownership Crowds Out Local News (Free Press)
“Our findings erase any doubt that Chairman Martin’s proposal flies in the face of the public interest,” said S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press. “Americans have overwhelmingly spoken out against cross-ownership and in favor of a diversity of media owners and more local news. But what Martin is proposing would have the opposite effect — more consolidation and less local news.”
http://www.freepress.net/press/release.php?id=302

* Read the new research:
http://www.freepress.net/docs/cu_cfa_fp_ownership_studies_ex_parte.pdf