Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said there need to be more hearings about media ownership issues. He told attendees of NAB’s State Leadership Conference that mergers may be god for a large corporation, but not a local community. “I would hope as an industry you would be reasonable.” He said, adding that it’s important to have a long-term national debate on consolidation issues.
As part of the same panel, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich, chair of the House Telecom Subcommittee, said of the streaming royalty issue, Congress needs to figure out a way to allow radio stations to stream content without paying prohibitive fees. The issue was prompted by a Kansas broadcaster that streams its local radio content over the Web so service men and woman can hear it overseas. This broadcaster said it reminded him of when he served in Vietnam, and his father sent him reel-to-reel tapes of local news.
State Broadcasters Debate Ownership, Royalties
State Broadcasters Debate Ownership, Royalties
