h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Federal Communications Commission is to vote June 2 on broad changes in media ownership regulations that critics fear will lead to more takeovers.

The FCC is considering eliminating many of the restrictions on a single company owning combinations of newspapers and TV and radio stations in the same city. Another proposal would raise a cap preventing one company from owning TV stations that reach more than 35 percent of U.S. households."The broadcast media has been absolutely atrocious on this issue," says Robert McChesney, author of "Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communications Politics in Dubious Times." "The coverage has been virtually nonexistent." pbs.org (NOW program)http://www.pbs.org/now/
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The major networks want the cap eliminated. Smaller broadcasters and network affiliates worry that a higher cap will allow the networks to gobble up more stations and limit local control of programming.`I don't like caps, but in the media area the probabilities of concentration and limiting people's access is something that you need consider,'' Lott said. ``It is dangerous.''
FCC: http://www.fcc.gov
News Corp.: http://www.newscorp.com