SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
The Federal Communications Commission is charging ahead with its plan to let Rupert Murdoch gobble up more media outlets. And we've just learned that the FCC may try to hold a secret vote to allow more media consolidation in the U.S. -- possibly within the next two weeks.
Murdoch has set his sights on the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune -- the major papers in the nation's second- and third-largest cities (where, incidentally, he already owns several TV stations).
And get this: The FCC is trying to change the rules so Murdoch can get exactly what he wants. Worse, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is hoping the agency can pass these changes without you noticing.
Murdoch's media grab would be illegal under the current rules. But Chairman Genachowski is pushing the other commissioners for changes that would translate into a giveaway for Rupert and other media barons.
Here are five things you need to know about the FCC's giveaway to big media.
1) It will give Rupert Murdoch more power.
If the FCC guts its ownership rules, nothing will stop Murdoch and other media giants from getting even more control over your news.
2) It will make our media less diverse.
Women own less than 7 percent of all broadcast outlets, while people of color control only 3.6 percent of all TV stations and just 8 percent of all radio stations. Most of the TV stations women and people of color own fall outside the top four in each media market. As it happens, the FCC proposal targets stations outside the top four -- which means that ownership levels for women and people of color would plunge even further under Genachowski's plan.
3) It will create local media monopolies.
One company will be allowed to own a daily newspaper, two TV stations and up to eight radio stations in your town. That one company could be your Internet provider, too.
4) It will mean less news for local communities.
Less competition means less overall news coverage.
5) It goes against the will of the people.
Genachowski's plan is essentially the same media consolidation proposal the Bush FCC tried to force through in 2007. The Senate voted to repeal it. A federal court overturned it. And 99 percent of the public comments the FCC received opposed it.
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The Federal Communications Commission is charging ahead with its plan to let Rupert Murdoch gobble up more media outlets. And we've just learned that the FCC may try to hold a secret vote to allow more media consolidation in the U.S. -- possibly within the next two weeks.
Murdoch has set his sights on the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune -- the major papers in the nation's second- and third-largest cities (where, incidentally, he already owns several TV stations).
And get this: The FCC is trying to change the rules so Murdoch can get exactly what he wants. Worse, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is hoping the agency can pass these changes without you noticing.
Murdoch's media grab would be illegal under the current rules. But Chairman Genachowski is pushing the other commissioners for changes that would translate into a giveaway for Rupert and other media barons.
Here are five things you need to know about the FCC's giveaway to big media.
1) It will give Rupert Murdoch more power.
If the FCC guts its ownership rules, nothing will stop Murdoch and other media giants from getting even more control over your news.
2) It will make our media less diverse.
Women own less than 7 percent of all broadcast outlets, while people of color control only 3.6 percent of all TV stations and just 8 percent of all radio stations. Most of the TV stations women and people of color own fall outside the top four in each media market. As it happens, the FCC proposal targets stations outside the top four -- which means that ownership levels for women and people of color would plunge even further under Genachowski's plan.
3) It will create local media monopolies.
One company will be allowed to own a daily newspaper, two TV stations and up to eight radio stations in your town. That one company could be your Internet provider, too.
4) It will mean less news for local communities.
Less competition means less overall news coverage.
5) It goes against the will of the people.
Genachowski's plan is essentially the same media consolidation proposal the Bush FCC tried to force through in 2007. The Senate voted to repeal it. A federal court overturned it. And 99 percent of the public comments the FCC received opposed it.
The Federal Communications Commission is charging ahead with its plan to let Rupert Murdoch gobble up more media outlets. And we've just learned that the FCC may try to hold a secret vote to allow more media consolidation in the U.S. -- possibly within the next two weeks.
Murdoch has set his sights on the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune -- the major papers in the nation's second- and third-largest cities (where, incidentally, he already owns several TV stations).
And get this: The FCC is trying to change the rules so Murdoch can get exactly what he wants. Worse, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is hoping the agency can pass these changes without you noticing.
Murdoch's media grab would be illegal under the current rules. But Chairman Genachowski is pushing the other commissioners for changes that would translate into a giveaway for Rupert and other media barons.
Here are five things you need to know about the FCC's giveaway to big media.
1) It will give Rupert Murdoch more power.
If the FCC guts its ownership rules, nothing will stop Murdoch and other media giants from getting even more control over your news.
2) It will make our media less diverse.
Women own less than 7 percent of all broadcast outlets, while people of color control only 3.6 percent of all TV stations and just 8 percent of all radio stations. Most of the TV stations women and people of color own fall outside the top four in each media market. As it happens, the FCC proposal targets stations outside the top four -- which means that ownership levels for women and people of color would plunge even further under Genachowski's plan.
3) It will create local media monopolies.
One company will be allowed to own a daily newspaper, two TV stations and up to eight radio stations in your town. That one company could be your Internet provider, too.
4) It will mean less news for local communities.
Less competition means less overall news coverage.
5) It goes against the will of the people.
Genachowski's plan is essentially the same media consolidation proposal the Bush FCC tried to force through in 2007. The Senate voted to repeal it. A federal court overturned it. And 99 percent of the public comments the FCC received opposed it.