Media Consolidation

Free Press: FCC Must Address Barriers to Entry in Media Ownership

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:32:50 -0500

Full article: Free Press
The FCC announced that it will solicit ideas for new research on barriers to entry for small businesses and underrepresented groups to participate in the communications and media industries. This request is an important step in the media ownership review process.

Free Press: FCC Must Address Barriers to Entry in Media Ownership

Jenn Ettinger — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:31:46 -0500

WASHINGTON -- On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission announced that it will solicit ideas for new research on barriers to entry for small businesses and underrepresented groups to participate in the communications and media industries.

Tucson Media Monopoly Takes Root

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:00:13 -0500

Full article: SavetheNews.org
Libby Reinish
Feb. 1, marked the beginning of a local media monopoly in Tucson, Ariz. Exploiting loopholes in the FCC's ownership rules, Raycom Media has taken control of three local stations: KMSB, KOLD and KTTU. The stations are now co-branded as "Tucson News Now" and they operate out of the same studio -- about 40 employees lighter than before.

Report Says Local Races Lacking TV Coverage

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:54:58 -0500

Full article: The Hill
Guatham Nagesh
Declines in the media business mean viewers are getting less news coverage and more political ads, according to a report from the media advocacy group Free Press.

The Public's Right to Know

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:09:13 -0500

Full article: SavetheNews.org
Megan Tady
People are fed up with fake news on TV. People are angry about countless political ads whose backers are shrouded in secrecy. People want to know how much local news their TV stations actually produce. Having easy access to broadcasters' public files is the first step toward holding our broadcasters accountable.

Comcast: The Conglomerate with a Heart

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:01:24 -0500

Full article: Bleacher Report
Josh Friedman
Comcast cable rates vary by package, but the company charges about $75 per month for cable in Philadelphia. Many of their subscribers would gladly switch to Dish Network or DirecTV, but Comcast has not allowed those companies to carry Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, which shows a majority of Phillies, Flyers and Sixers games. Comcast has gone so far as to broadcast CSN Philadelphia on terrestrial, not satellite, equipment, thus giving them an excuse to bypass FCC rules that would otherwise require the cable giant to provide satellite companies access to the sports channel.

Comcast/NBC Drives Deal Market to $52 Billion in 2011

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:43:58 -0500

Full article: Multichannel News
Mike Farrell
The entertainment and media deal market soared in 2011, fueled mainly by the multi-billion NBC Universal joint venture between Comcast and General Electric, according to an annual survey.

Sun-Times to Quit Making Endorsements

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:07:38 -0500

Full article: CBS Chicago
Regine Schlesinger
It's an election year, but don't look for the Chicago Sun-Times to tell you which candidates it favors. For the first time in its 71-year history, the Sun-Times says it will not make endorsements in the upcoming elections.

San Diego Union-Tribune Owner Uses His Paper to Push Waterfront Plan

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:57:24 -0500

Full article: JimRomenesko.com
Jim Romenesko
When real-estate developer Doug Manchester bought the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Los Angeles Times reported that "an immediate concern in San Diego is whether Manchester, will use the newspaper to advance his financial interests or his disputes with governmental bodies such as the Coastal Commission." That commission, in early November, rejected Manchester's proposal to build hotels along the San Diego waterfront. The newspaper owner comes out swinging with a front page editorial, "New vision needed for downtown waterfront to realize vast potential” and an inside editorial, "Making the vision a reality."

Bloomberg Jabs at Comcast on Anniversary of NBC Deal Approval

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:41:00 -0500

Full article: Los Angeles Times
Joe Flint
Business media giant Bloomberg LP is marking the upcoming one-year anniversary of the government's approval of Comcast Corp.'s acquisition of NBCUniversal to remind regulators that it thinks the cable giant is disrespecting the feds.