The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council told the FCC that MMTC’s diversity study is a useful piece of evidence as the commission considers whether to loosen some of its cross-ownership rules.
The study examined whether, and to what extent, cross-ownership might have a material adverse impact on minority and women ownership.
While not intended to be exhaustive, “what can be determined through [the study] is a reasonably clear sense of whether there is a material difference in the impact of these commonly-owned local cross-media operations,” the organization tells the agency.
MMTC did provide a caveat, citing a market where all three respondents in a medium market in which there was a local combination of the only daily newspaper, a full power television station, and radio stations. In that market, “all three respondents mentioned cross-media interests as having a competitive impact on their stations,” notes MMTC.
Former Chairman Julius Genachowski had proposed eliminating the radio/TV and radio/newspaper cross-ownership rules and loosening the newspaper/TV cross-ownership rules. The FCC postponed action on ownership to give the public time to comment on the study conducted for MMTC by BIA.
Initial comments to MB Dockets 09-182 and 07-294 were due Monday; the commission is taking reply comments until Aug. 6.
