4 ms·

FCC to consider ending merger ban among US broadcast networks

16 points by voxadam 1y ago

3eb7988a1663 1y ago
Is there an example where a merger which was a good result for consumers? Reducing competition from four companies seems destined to be a bad outcome.
treetalker 1y ago
Or … the FCC could reinstate the Fairness Doctrine so that everyone would be exposed to a wider range of views, some of which would challenge their current beliefs and thinking, such that a variety of ideas would battle it out in the arena public discourse and better, more-accurate, and more-beneficial ones would tend to prevail and hold sway.
- TimorousBestie 1y ago
  The Fairness Doctrine did not accomplish that, either in theory or practice. > The fairness doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. [0] Modern Fox News often satisfies the letter of the fairness doctrine when they invite allegedly nonpartisan figures on to interview. For example, when Andrew Ngo mischaracterizes left-wing protests in Seattle, that’s a contrasting view. Since enforcement was left up to the ruling party’s FCC, the effects were predictable: > While the original purpose of the doctrine was to ensure that viewers were exposed to a diversity of viewpoints, it was used by the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations to combat political opponents operating on talk radio and television. [0] It’s very unclear how a Fairness Doctrine-like could function in today’s legal environment. SCOTUS has made it nearly impossible for any federal agency to levy fines or adjudicate rule-breaking. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_doctrine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_doctrine
JohnFen 1y ago
The FCC's actions in this space over the past few decades have already largely destroyed the broadcast media landscape. I'm unsurprised that they're preparing to deal the death blow.
westurner 1y ago
"FCC starts process that could loosen TV station ownership rules" (2025) https://youtube.com/watch?v=hvdXMx2cQfE https://youtube.com/watch?v=hvdXMx2cQfE : > Currently no single company can own stations reaching more than 39% of TV households in America. Nexstar's proposed acquisition of Tegna would bring that combined company's reach to about 80%; double the current limit. The FCC is also expected to review a rule - tossed out by a federal appeals court in July - that a single company cannot own 2 of the top 4 TV stations in a market. In Denver, Nexstar already owns Fox 31 and Channel 2. The proposed merger would add 9 News and Channel 20. The CEO of Nexstar has said that multiple stations in the same city will be combined. Who remembers why we are opposed to corporate consolidation in the media, given "fake news" and "media literacy" in their - the only - two corners? From https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35676503 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35676503 re: labels for state-funded and (S)PAC-funded media (and now sermons, too, of late, btw): > Media literacy > Media literacy education: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_literacy#Media_literacy_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_literacy#Media_literacy_... Though these are or would be Nexstar FOX stations, this film from the tumultuous and still unpaid-for wars of the 2000s is relevant again today: "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" (2004) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outfoxed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outfoxed : > "Fair and Balanced" The internet says Trump hired Fox News execs Aisles (former RNC chair, former CEO of Fox News) in 2016, and Shine (O'Reilly) in 2018. 21st Century Fox sold to Disney in 2019. Fox News is now a wholly separate company from 21st Century Fox and Fox Theatres. Now that the federal government has de-funded The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and thereby PBS and NPR, do they still have to carry the "state-sponsored media label"? Oligarchy > United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy#United_states https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy#United_states

16 points by voxadam 1y ago

Is there an example where a merger which was a good result for consumers? Reducing competition from four companies seems destined to be a bad outcome.

treetalker 1y ago

Or … the FCC could reinstate the Fairness Doctrine so that everyone would be exposed to a wider range of views, some of which would challenge their current beliefs and thinking, such that a variety of ideas would battle it out in the arena public discourse and better, more-accurate, and more-beneficial ones would tend to prevail and hold sway.

TimorousBestie 1y ago
The Fairness Doctrine did not accomplish that, either in theory or practice. > The fairness doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. [0] Modern Fox News often satisfies the letter of the fairness doctrine when they invite allegedly nonpartisan figures on to interview. For example, when Andrew Ngo mischaracterizes left-wing protests in Seattle, that’s a contrasting view. Since enforcement was left up to the ruling party’s FCC, the effects were predictable: > While the original purpose of the doctrine was to ensure that viewers were exposed to a diversity of viewpoints, it was used by the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations to combat political opponents operating on talk radio and television. [0] It’s very unclear how a Fairness Doctrine-like could function in today’s legal environment. SCOTUS has made it nearly impossible for any federal agency to levy fines or adjudicate rule-breaking. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_doctrine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_doctrine

JohnFen 1y ago

The FCC's actions in this space over the past few decades have already largely destroyed the broadcast media landscape. I'm unsurprised that they're preparing to deal the death blow.

westurner 1y ago

"FCC starts process that could loosen TV station ownership rules" (2025) https://youtube.com/watch?v=hvdXMx2cQfE https://youtube.com/watch?v=hvdXMx2cQfE : > Currently no single company can own stations reaching more than 39% of TV households in America. Nexstar's proposed acquisition of Tegna would bring that combined company's reach to about 80%; double the current limit. The FCC is also expected to review a rule - tossed out by a federal appeals court in July - that a single company cannot own 2 of the top 4 TV stations in a market. In Denver, Nexstar already owns Fox 31 and Channel 2. The proposed merger would add 9 News and Channel 20. The CEO of Nexstar has said that multiple stations in the same city will be combined. Who remembers why we are opposed to corporate consolidation in the media, given "fake news" and "media literacy" in their - the only - two corners? From https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35676503 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35676503 re: labels for state-funded and (S)PAC-funded media (and now sermons, too, of late, btw): > Media literacy > Media literacy education: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_literacy#Media_literacy_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_literacy#Media_literacy_... Though these are or would be Nexstar FOX stations, this film from the tumultuous and still unpaid-for wars of the 2000s is relevant again today: "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" (2004) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outfoxed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outfoxed : > "Fair and Balanced" The internet says Trump hired Fox News execs Aisles (former RNC chair, former CEO of Fox News) in 2016, and Shine (O'Reilly) in 2018. 21st Century Fox sold to Disney in 2019. Fox News is now a wholly separate company from 21st Century Fox and Fox Theatres. Now that the federal government has de-funded The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and thereby PBS and NPR, do they still have to carry the "state-sponsored media label"? Oligarchy > United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy#United_states https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy#United_states