Perhaps the best discussion of the effort to stop expansion of media cross ownership is in a series in THE SEATTLE TIMES entitled Daily Democracy. One of the strongest statements against FCC Chairman Martin’s plan for media cross ownership came from Senator Maria Cantwell [D-WA], who as a member of the Commerce Committee is in a position to do something about the FCC . She said, in a press release: Again and again , Chairman Martin has attempted to ram through rules that will encourage media concentration despite the public’s loud and clear opposition. I’m disappointed but unsurprised that after claiming the hearings were going to be a critical part of the FCC’s process, and giving the public merely a week’s notice on the hearing, he has released a proposal that ignores the over nine hours of testimony from Washingtonians barely 72 hours later. The Chairman says he invites public comment on his proposals, so I hope that everyone will contact the FCC to let them know exactly what they think of this proposal. If Congress has to act to stop media consolidation, we will. The two Democrats on the FCC also blasted Martin and his plan. In a joint statement Commissioners Copps and Adelstein pulled no punches. They said:
This is portrayed as a moderate proposal, but it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing . Don’t let the wool be pulled over your eyes. The proposal could repeal the ban in every market in America, not just the top twenty. Any city, no matter how small, could be subjected to newspaper broadcast ownership combinations under a very loose standard. And later they said: There is still time to do this the right way. Congress and the thousands of American citizens we have talked to want a thoughtful and deliberate rulemaking, not an alarming rush to judgment characterized by insultingly short notices for public hearings, inadequate time for public comment, flawed studies and a tainted peer review process-all designed to make sure that the Chairman can deliver a generous gift to big media before the holidays. For the rest of us: a lump of coal. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is trying to look like the great compromiser. His proposal to allow a company to own a newspaper, television station, and radio station in the same market is much more narrow than what the FCC approved in 2003. Martin’s plan would allow for cross-ownership in the top twenty media markets, and would not allow for a merger if a television station is ranked in the top four in a market. The proposal does seem to leave wiggle room for cross ownership outside the country’s largest media markets. The proposal allows the commission to make exceptions for companies that do not meet the seemingly limiting criteria. THE SEATTLE TIMES editorial series the Democracy Papers has done an excellent job of explaining what crossover ownership is all about and what the dangers of Chairman Martin’s actions are. This series should be must reading for all. It can be found at | 
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