looking for hope
a letter to the federal communications commission
on memorial day, 2003
chairman michael k. powell: mpowell@fcc.gov
commissioner kathleen q. abernathy: kabernat@fcc.gov
commissioner michael j. copps: mcopps@fcc.gov
commissioner kevin j. martin: kjmweb@fcc.gov
commissioner jonathan s. adelstein: jadelste@fcc.gov
commissioners,
it is my opinion that the current rules that limit the amount of control a single corporation can have in broadcasting are already too lenient. i believe that any loosening of current controls is of major consequence and should involve extensive public debate.
competition has been sacrificed for the sake of competitiveness. fewer owners means less competition. competitiveness, for it's own sake, sacrifices diversity and customer choice.
these days going up and down the radio dial is a lot like playing a game of monopoly in the late stages. instead of paying all of your money to the same owner, you're listening to the same programming from large media conglomerates.
several years ago restrictions were removed on radio ownership. it has resulted in one third fewer owners than there were before the restrictions were removed. any further broadening of ownership can only result in further consolidation. currently, there are five major corporations that control roughly ninety percent of the media.
the national association of broadcasters cynically suggests that allowing combinations will allow smaller, local stations to compete with the larger conglomerates that dominate already. what is much more likely is that the struggling small broadcasters will continue to be gobbled up, one by one, by the well-financed big fish.
the effects of the removal of limits on radio ownership has led to a sharp decline in the quality of the programming. as stations are brought into a larger family of broadcasters, local programming is removed to make room for the "higher profile" (lowest common denominator?) personalities. you see fewer and fewer variations across a broader and broader spectrum. this erodes the connection between the broadcasters and the communities they serve and literally silences local voices.
this type of media consolidation is a danger to our democracy. as in the film 'mr. smith goes to washington', public opinion can be easily controlled when newspaper and radio content are condensed under a single influence. with that influence expanded into cable and television, so is the control. control is the antithesis of freedom.
i have a vision of broadcast media that allows for only one frequency per company. i believe that is what would serve the interest of the american public.
no one entity should be able to control the broadcast of more than one frequency to ensure competitiveness and diversity of programming. there should be as many different broadcasters as are willing. ideally, the dial would be crammed with as many stations as will fit.
with increased demand, licensing should be done on a rotating basis. no one entity should be able to control a particular frequency indefinitely for profit.
the public airwaves should be accessible to the people. an emphasis should be placed on community and non-profit broadcasters with funding and training incentives. bandwidth should be made available for such broadcasting on the local level.
this can work. my involvement in community radio and webcasting has taught me the value of a diverse range of programming. there are many dedicated and talented individuals who are willing to make community media work. if you give them a chance.
we need you to do the responsible thing and protect the public interest instead of the corporate interest.
thank you,
ken ostrander
orlando, florida
"you're not going to have a country that can make these kinds of rules work, if you haven't got men that can tell human rights from a punch in the nose."
-james stewart as jefferson smith
on the declaration of independance
current rules prevent a single corporation from:
dominating local tv markets
merging a community's tv stations, radio stations, and newspapers
merging two of the major tv networks
controlling more than thirty five percent of tv households in the nation
number of radio stations by state:
333
Alabama
110
Alaska
199
Arizona
257
Arkansas
889
California
222
Colorado
107
Connecticut
33
Delaware
14
District of Columbia
556
Florida
445
Georgia
84
Hawaii
129
Idaho
427
Illinois
323
Indiana
256
Iowa
216
Kansas
332
Kentucky
256
Louisiana
115
Maine
142
Maryland
189
Massachusetts
410
Michigan
314
Minnesota
349
Mississippi
358
Missouri
134
Montana
154
Nebraska
93
Nevada
89
New Hampshire
118
New Jersey
172
New Mexico
537
New York
421
North Carolina
99
North Dakota
412
Ohio
210
Oklahoma
244
Oregon
489
Pennsylvania
37
Rhode Island
234
South Carolina
115
South Dakota
408
Tennessee
858
Texas
110
Utah
76
Vermont
334
Virginia
264
Washington
191
West Virginia
335
Wisconsin
103
Wyoming
Compiled from M Street Corporation data, updated December, 2002
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