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Silent Voices: Analyzing the FCC "Media Voices" Criteria Limiting Local Radio-Television Cross-Ownership

2003; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 8; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1207/s15326926clp0804_01

1532-6926

Loy A. Singleton, Steven C. Rockwell,

Media Influence and Politics

In 1999, the Federal Communications Commission greatly liberalized its local television duopoly and radio-television cross-ownership rules, making possible for the first time ownership of two television stations and as many as six radio stations in a single market, depending on the number of "media voices" there. Analysis of program listings of television stations in the fifty largest U.S. television markets suggests that substantial numbers of stations do not regularly schedule local news or public affairs programming, making them, in effect, silent voices regarding local news and public affairs. The designation of such stations as local "media voices" permits a greater degree of duopoly and cross ownership than if only stations broadcasting local news and public affairs programming were counted and contradicts the Commission's rationale for the concept of a local media voice.