Genachowski: Concerned About 'Perfect Storm' Quality of Traditional Media

Speaking at the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters conference, Federal communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said he is very concerned about what he sees as the "perfect storm" quality to the current state of traditional media. "Broadcasters today are confronted with a difficult economy, a plummeting advertising market, and rapid technological change buffeting traditional business plans," he said. Minority owners face a fourth challenge, he said, access to capital. Chairman Genachowski announced that the FCC would bring the various sides together for a discussion of issues surrounding Arbitron's Portable People Meters (PPMs). he said that the FCC's authority is limited over "the core issue" of minority undercounts. The FCC NOI focused on the commission's use of Arbitron PPM data and how it might "might impact the integrity of agency analyses and trend reporting, and thus policymaking," he said.