Activists Deliver 200,000 Petition Signatures to FCC

Media activists delivered 200,000 petition signatures opposing the relaxation of media ownership rules to the Federal Communications Commission earlier today. The signatures were gathered by good government and media advocacy groups including Free Press, Common Cause, CREDO Action, Rev. Jesse Jackson’s RainbowPush coalition and the Communications Workers of America labor union as part of an on-going campaign against further media consolidation.

The petitions came after a week of growing support for the issue. On Monday, 44 members of the House of Representatives, including the chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, sent a letter to the FCC expressing concern that relaxing media ownership laws would hurt diversity and local news coverage at broadcasters across the country. The letter cited FCC research released last month that found women and racial and ethnic minorities are dismally underrepresented in media ownership — women owned less than 7 percent of commercial radio and television stations, and minorities own only 3.6 percent of TV stations and just 8 percent of radio stations.

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For more on this issue:

• Read the House letter to the FCC.
• Read a letter from ten Senators asking the FCC to hold their vote on ownership laws.
• The Hill reports the Senator Frank Lautenberg is also urging the FCC to reconsider their plan to change media ownership laws.
• Read a blog post by Free Press’s Josh Stearns that debunks misconceptions about the FCC’s push to relax media ownership laws.
• Bloomberg reports that the bankrupt Tribune company, the owner of the L.A. Times and the Chicago Tribune, is searching for new owners for its papers. The company is interviewing potential buyers, including bankers and media moguls like Rupert Murdoch.
• The New York Times reports that Michael Bloomberg is considering purchasing the Financial Times.