Press Release
FCC to host public hearing in San Antonio on January 28
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
Washington, DC - Free Press, a national nonpartisan public interest group focused on media reform, today called on citizens to make their voices heard on behalf of diversity and localism in broadcasting at a public hearing held by the Federal Communications Commission in San Antonio. The FCC announced today that the hearing is set for January 28, from 5:30pm to 9:30pm, at the City Council Chamber in the Municipal Plaza Building.
The San Antonio hearing will be the second in a series of FCC hearings to solicit input about local broadcasting as a slate of government-granted broadcast licenses come up for renewal. The first hearing was held in Charlotte, NC, in October.
"Paid lobbyists packed the halls in Charlotte. We are urging people to come out and prevent that from happening again in San Antonio," Managing Director Josh Silver said.
Broadcasters receive licenses to the publicly owned airwaves, free of charge, in return for a pledge to serve the public interest. In Texas, radio licenses expire August 1, 2005; TV licenses expire on August 1, 2006.
Public input, which was once a major part of the license renewal process, has been stripped away. As a 1998 White House panel of broadcasters and public interest representatives noted about the effect of deregulatory measures, "The license renewal process - historically, the time at which a station's public interest performance is formally evaluated - was shortened and made virtually automatic through a so-called 'postcard renewal' process."
"The FCC's disastrous decision on media ownership was a wake-up call to the public, which is shut out of the process all too often," Silver continued, referring to the Federal Communications Commission's controversial June 2 move to relax rules limiting media consolidation. Three million emails, letters and petitions protesting the decision were sent to the FCC and Capitol Hill from conservative and liberal groups alike. "Citizens are tired of dumbed-down journalism, rampant commercialism, and seeing their local media bought up by big media companies. This is a crucial opportunity to make their voices heard."
Free Press is a national citizens group that seeks to increase informed public participation in media policy and to promote a more competitive, public interest-oriented media system. It was founded by University of Illinois professor, media scholar and author Robert McChesney. For additional background information about the FCC's hearings and broadcast licenses, see www.mediareform.net/townmeetings.
The San Antonio hearing will be the second in a series of FCC hearings to solicit input about local broadcasting as a slate of government-granted broadcast licenses come up for renewal. The first hearing was held in Charlotte, NC, in October.
"Paid lobbyists packed the halls in Charlotte. We are urging people to come out and prevent that from happening again in San Antonio," Managing Director Josh Silver said.
Broadcasters receive licenses to the publicly owned airwaves, free of charge, in return for a pledge to serve the public interest. In Texas, radio licenses expire August 1, 2005; TV licenses expire on August 1, 2006.
Public input, which was once a major part of the license renewal process, has been stripped away. As a 1998 White House panel of broadcasters and public interest representatives noted about the effect of deregulatory measures, "The license renewal process - historically, the time at which a station's public interest performance is formally evaluated - was shortened and made virtually automatic through a so-called 'postcard renewal' process."
"The FCC's disastrous decision on media ownership was a wake-up call to the public, which is shut out of the process all too often," Silver continued, referring to the Federal Communications Commission's controversial June 2 move to relax rules limiting media consolidation. Three million emails, letters and petitions protesting the decision were sent to the FCC and Capitol Hill from conservative and liberal groups alike. "Citizens are tired of dumbed-down journalism, rampant commercialism, and seeing their local media bought up by big media companies. This is a crucial opportunity to make their voices heard."
Free Press is a national citizens group that seeks to increase informed public participation in media policy and to promote a more competitive, public interest-oriented media system. It was founded by University of Illinois professor, media scholar and author Robert McChesney. For additional background information about the FCC's hearings and broadcast licenses, see www.mediareform.net/townmeetings.
