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Guild, CWA, NABET argue against relaxing of media ownership rules

16 Jul 2010

The Guild Reporter

The Newspaper Guild, CWA and NABET formally entered the debate over media concentration this week with a joint submission to the Federal Communications Commission, which is conducting a quadrennial review of its media ownership rules. Of particular concern to the Guild are the FCC's cross-ownership rules, which limit ownership of both broadcast and newspaper media by a single owner, while NABET also is concerned about various partnerships that merge broadcast newsroom operations of separately owned outlets.

The FCC's rules are intended to promote media diversity, competition and localism and are reviewed every four years to ensure that these objectives are being met.  Yet while the evidence presented by TNG-CWA and others amply demonstrates that the mass media have been moving in precisely the opposite direction because of industry consolidation and severe cost-cutting, industry lobbyists have argued they need the synergies of consolidation to combat rising costs, sinking profit margins and an unforgiving shift in industry economics.

As the joint submission, prepared by Eric Geist,  observes, "while these so-called synergies may increase efficiencies, efficiency is not the policy goal -- diversity is," as is greater competition and more localism.

The submission quotes Guild President Bernie Lunzder to further make the point, citing his April testimony at the FCC's media ownership workshop in Tampa. "Most consolidations are being done for efficiencies and that means less content, fewer journalists and less diversity in both content and staff," Lunzer said at the time, adding that if the FCC ends up lifting the cross-ownership ban "it will have done nothing to preserve or promote quality information -- in fact, it will speed up the demise of journalism while preserving a cash flow for some."

Joining the CWA in its opposition to relaxing the ownership rules has been a wide spectrum of labor, civic and public interest groups.