Nashville FCC hearing gives locals the chance to speak out against further media consolidation

by Lee Stabert

from the Nashville Scene

If big media has its way, the Federal Communications Commission will relax limitations on media ownership, effectively allowing a single company to dominate local media in any given market. But on Monday, Dec. 11 at Belmont University, the FCC will hold the second of six proposed hearings, giving Nashvillians a chance to voice their concerns.

Nashville could be a pivotal locale for anti-FCC ire because of its high concentration of artists experiencing firsthand the dearth of opportunities to get their art into the marketplace. Just think about the number of local artists you could hear on Nashville radio 10 years ago vs. today, and you have a good illustration of the way consolidation affects the livelihood of artists.

All five FCC commissioners will attend the hearing, including Nashville commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, for the listening tour that drew more than 1,000 in Los Angeles on Oct. 3 to voice their frustrations about limited access to media.

“Free and unfettered access to the media, and the ability to use it as a tool for advocacy and dissemination of information is crucial,” says Ginny Welsch of Radio Free Nashville, a 100-watt station in suburban Nashville. “This is an opportunity that most people don’t have in their lifetimes, to get in front of the FCC and be heard.”

Two major changes are up for debate: the possible extermination of a rule that prevents companies from owning a TV or radio station and the major daily newspaper in a market, and the restriction on ownership of more than one (or, in large markets, two) TV stations in a single market. The latter is an especially forceful change considering the 2009 move to digital broadcasting that will radically increase the space for stations. If these restrictions are removed, one company could own as many as a dozen channels per city.

Cynics might wonder whether testifying will really make a difference, but there’s evidence to support the power of public opposition. When the FCC moved to loosen regulations on media ownership in 2003, it was assailed by over three million complaints from the American public. One particular testimony, from T.C. Calvert of San Antonio, Texas, crystallized the tangible ills of the loss of locally owned information sources. When his neighborhood experienced serious flooding, TV signals were disrupted and residents tuned into KSJL Radio—a Clear Channel station. “You know what they were doing while the floodwaters were coming?” asked Calvert. “They were bopping the music, hits and oldies, instead of warning our people that the floodwaters were coming.”

The public outcry was summarily ignored, but because of powerful testimonies and letters, the Prometheus Radio Project, a nonprofit group of radio activists based in Philadelphia, was able to sue the FCC and win. Says Welsch, “[The FCC] were told: ‘You cannot ignore the public.’ ”

For complete information on the hearings, the FCC’s proposed rule changes, guidelines and workshop opportunities for preparing testimony and a complete list of events, visit stopbigmedia.org.