Three Congressional Democrats Call On FCC To Examine Consolidation's Effect On Local News

Three Congressional Democrats sent a letter to the FCC's Chairman JULIUS GENACHOWSKI WEDNESDAY (12/6) calling for the Commission to examine the impact of newsroom mergers and other media consolidation on diversity and localism in the media.

The letter by MIKE DOYLE (D-PA), ANNA ESHOO (D-CA), and JAY INSLEE (D-WA), filed as part of the quadrennial ownership rules review docket, praised the cross-ownership prohibition as "ensur(ing) competition in news gathering" and asserted that "protecting localism is a critical and longstanding goal of the (FCC's) media ownership rules.  However, today's media marketplace reflects a troubling decline in the level of local journalism," citing an FCC-commission study that claimed the Internet has not expanded the number of local news outlets.  The letter also urged the Commission to examine the effect of newsroom consolidation between separately-owned stations on jobs, diversity, and localism.

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