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DESCRIPTION:Peace Activists: Say no to corporate news! The FCC is coming to San 
 Francisco on April 26!\n\nSATURDAY, APRIL 26\nNoon, Rally and Press 
 Conference\n10 AM - 4 PM, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 
 Hearing\nCity Hall, San Francisco (Civic Center BART station)\n\nWhile 
 Secretary of State Colin Powell led the U.S. invasion against Iraq, his 
 son, Michael Powell, head of the FCC, ramped up an attack on federal media 
 regulations that could give the corporate media even more power than it 
 already has. We have already seen the effects of the 1996 media 
 deregulation: five television companies--General Electric (MSNBC and NBC), 
 News Corp (Fox), Disney (ABC), AOL-Time Warner (CNN), and Viacom 
 (CBS)--have a stranglehold on what information the public gets to know, and 
 corporate radio behemoths like Clear Channel Communications devour local 
 radio stations and replace them with McRadio. If Powell has his way, the 
 situation will get even worse; there will be nothing standing in the way of 
 media companies’ drive for profits at the expense of our 
 democracy.\n\nTAKE ACTION—SPEAK OUT AGAINST MEDIA CONSOLIDATION AT THE 
 FCC HEARING IN SAN FRANCISCO!\n\nChairman Powell is trying to fast-track 
 approval of his proposed media deregulation, but some of the other FCC 
 commissioners, who realize that the public needs to be informed about the 
 ramifications of unleashing the corporate media, are holding informal 
 hearings in several parts of the country. Media Alliance has succeeded in 
 securing a Bay Area public hearing, which will take place at San Francisco 
 City Hall on Saturday, April 26, 10 AM – 4 PM.\n\nSan Francisco activists 
 of all stripes: this is our chance to say no to the Bush Administration’s 
 push to give free reign to the corporate media. This is our chance to speak 
 out against media that puts corporate profit ahead of journalism and 
 truth-telling.\n\nWe encourage you to come to the FCC hearing, which will 
 be attended by FCC Commissioner Adelstein, who realizes his obligation to 
 serving the public interest. And at Noon, come outside to get loud about 
 McRadio, McTV, and the military invasion of the corporate 
 media.\n\nSponsored by Media Alliance, Global Exchange, CodePink, and 
 others. For more information, 415-575-5555, 
 info@media-alliance.org.\n\nWRITE TO THE FCC COMMISSIONERS AND THE SENATE 
 COMMERCE COMMITTEE\n\nTell the FCC Commissioners listede below that you 
 oppose the proposed deregulation of the media. In fact, we need to 
 strengthen our media ownership rules! Tell the Senators listed below that 
 the Commerce Committee should hold hearings on the proposed changes in the 
 regulations\n\nPrioritize these FCC Commissioners:\nChairman Michael 
 Powell, 202-418-1000, mpowell@fcc.gov \nCommissioner Kevin J. Martin: 
 kjmweb@fcc.gov\n\nPrioritize these members of the Senate Commerce 
 Committee:\nSenator John McCain, Phone: (202) 224-2235, Fax: (202) 
 228-2862\nSenator Frtiz Hollings, Phone: (202) 224-6121\nBarbara Boxer, 
 Phone: (202) 224-3553 or (415) 403-0100\n\nBACKGROUND INFORMATION\n\nAnyone 
 who paid attention to the media coverage of the war on Iraq and the 
 anti-war movement knows that peace and justice activists must prioritize 
 wresting control of our media from profit-driven media corporations. In 
 other parts of the world, TV viewers learned about the human costs of 
 war—from images of injured and dead Iraqi civilians to interviews with 
 hospitals and humanitarian workers. But on U.S. television, the war was 
 presented as a video game, full of images that glorified U.S. weaponry and 
 commentary by former military generals and “embedded” journalists whose 
 identities blurred with those of their military units. This was the version 
 of the war that the U.S. government wanted the public to believe—not the 
 reality on the ground in Iraq. This was also the version of the war that 
 media outlets believed would bring them viewers and advertising dollars. 
 \n\nOur democracy cannot afford this approach to the news—be it news 
 about the war, our economy, or any other political or social issue. The 
 right to conduct an informed debate and discussion of current events is 
 part of the founding philosophy of our nation. As it stands today, the 
 broadcasting industry is failing to serve the public. Dissenting political 
 viewpoints are routinely marginalized in national mainstream media, and the 
 interests and perspectives of women, people of color, labor, local 
 communities, and lesbians, gays and bisexuals are consistently 
 underrepresented. Across the country, programming in the mass media that 
 addresses local concerns is almost non-existent. If the FCC allows our 
 media outlets to merge and consolidate further, there will be little 
 opportunity to have an open, informed discussion from a wide variety of 
 viewpoints.\n\nThe following rules are being considered for modification or 
 elimination by the FCC. A decision from the FCC is expected in early June 
 2003.\n\n•Newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership prohibition. Prevents 
 broadcast TV companies from buying newspapers in communities in which they 
 have TV stations. (Practical effect: NBC cannot buy Gannett News 
 Service)\n•Local radio ownership limit. Limits the number of local radio 
 stations that any one broadcaster can own in a single market. (Practical 
 effect: right now Clear Channel can only own 8 stations in a local 
 market.)\n•National TV ownership limit. Limits the number of local 
 broadcast stations any one broadcast company can own to systems serving 35% 
 of the TV households in the U.S. (Practical effect: Prevents Viacom/CBS 
 from buying anymore broadcast systems, because it currently owns systems 
 that reach 41% of the public. Prevents Fox/Newscorp (Rupert Murdoch) from 
 owning the other half.\n•Local TV multiple ownership, aka “duopoly 
 rule.” Allows a broadcast company to own two TV stations in the same 
 market only if at least one of those stations is ranked below the top four 
 stations and there are at least eight independently owned-and-operating, 
 full-power and noncommercial television stations in that market. (Practical 
 effect: Viacom/CBS can own PAX as long as PAX remains a low ranked station 
 in that market.)\n•Radio/TV Cross-Ownership restriction. Prevents one 
 company from owning both a radio station and a television station in the 
 same market. (Practical effect: Clear Channel cannot now own TV stations in 
 markets where it owns radio stations. Disney/ABC cannot control radio and 
 TV stations in the same market.)\n\nThese websites have more information 
 about reclaiming the media:\n\n•Media Ownership Rules and the FCC, a 
 pamphlet by Media Alliance and the Center for International Media Action: 
 http://www.context.fm/fcc-guide_online.pdf\n•Reclaim the Media, 
 www.reclaimthemedia.org\n•Center for Digital Democracy, 
 www.democraticmedia.org\n•Media Alliance, 
 www.media-alliance.org\n•Media Tank, www.mediatank.org\n\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2004/02/03/18783.php
SUMMARY:Speak Out Against Corporate News; FCC Hearing in SF
LOCATION:City Hall\n(Civic Center BART station)
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2004/02/03/18783.php
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