Back to the Future for the FCC

This week the FCC is considering a proposal to relax longstanding media ownership rules in top markets — a move that would allow Big Media, like Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, to monopolize print and electronic media in key markets, controlling local news and likely contributing to the lack of diversity in American media.

This isn’t a new idea. Similar attempts by the FCC to change ownership rules — under the dubious defense of saving newspapers — were thwarted in 2007 (and in 2003).

Bill covered the 2007 debacle for Bill Moyers Journal, reporting how then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin tried to change the rules, facing a blistering public response as a result. Watch the segment below not only to see Big Media politics at work, but also to see strong and moving American voices in protest making a difference.