FCC Ignores Public, Relaxes Media Ownership 244
anthrax writes "Ignoring Congressional and public comments, the FCC voted to relax ownership rules that have prevented broadcasters from owning newspapers in the nation's 20 largest media markets. After holding several public hearings that overwhelmingly opposed the relaxation of the rules, and Congressional hearing where Democrats and Republicans (even Ted 'Tubes' Stevens) voiced opposition to the move, the FCC voted 3 to 2 to relax ownership. On the same day the FCC voted 3 to 2 (by a different split) to cap the size of any cable company at 30% of the nationwide market, a limit Comcast is up against."
Bill Moyers piece (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12142007/watch2.html [pbs.org]
While fascinating, it was also one of the most horrific examples I have recently seen of a runaway Executive Branch. Once again we, as US citizens, need to rely upon our elected officials in Congress. Who knows how well that will turn out......
Most of the candidates are bought & paid for. (Score:5, Informative)
The largest contributors to... the Clinton, Obama and Romney campaigns are
Goldman Sachs... They must want something quite badly...
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00000019&cycle=2008 [opensecrets.org]
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00009638&cycle=2008 [opensecrets.org]
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00000286&cycle=2008 [opensecrets.org]
Giuliani's top contributor is Ernst & Young, but the banks are up there too.
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00009908&cycle=2008 [opensecrets.org]
The same people giving money to both sides... Almost as if they don't care who wins. Funny that, eh...
Re:isn't democracy great? (Score:1, Informative)
I'm at a state school (a UC) with multiple layers of unelected officials between the students and the elected officials who fund it. I've seen crooked audits, bribery, and extortion. Along with the student government, I've tried to sue the school. After $50,000 worth of legal expenses, we realized we were going to run out of money before anything would get done. I've gone to the media and the response was "we've done corruption pieces on your school and no one cares." I've gone to the elected officials, who would have liked to help, but claimed the multiple layers of bureaucracy made it impossible to change things from the top.
We managed to get a few of the worst people fired or transferred to jobs where they don't work with students. We've been told to stop complaining or all the students would be punished. They were. I stopped complaining, in six months I get to leave.
Re:Thank God (Score:3, Informative)
Neither of those "newspapers" or their readers are held in high regard. "Sun reader" has been used as a synonym for "unthinking mouth-breathing idiot" since the 1970s, and it's main contribution to British culture was introducing "Page Three Girl" as a generic term for a witless bimbo (The Sun used to have a different topless model every day on it's third page, together with a small, patronising piece of text that described people with one CSE in anything as having both brains and beauty. This, together with various competitions that were heavily advertised on TV was, and may still be, its major selling point).
Re:isn't democracy great? (Score:3, Informative)
The Boston Globe Editorial page sucks, but they have a nice collection of funnies: Dilbert and Fox Trot come to mind.
http://sentenceofdave.blogspot.com/ [blogspot.com]