The President/CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters was among the first D.C. lobbying group leaders to applaud the FCC’s 2-1 decision on August 6 to eliminate a Congressionally mandated 39% national TV owner reach limit.
“The FCC’s decision to eliminate the outdated national television ownership cap marks a generational step toward strengthening local stations and ensuring they can compete in today’s media marketplace,” Curtis LeGeyt said just minutes after the Commission vote at its August Open Meeting. “We applaud Chairman Carr and the Commission for recognizing that rules adopted decades ago should not constrain local broadcasters’ ability to invest in journalism, innovation and service to their communities. Today the FCC helped level the playing field and strengthen local stations’ ability to deliver the trusted news and emergency information millions of Americans rely on.”
In contrast, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) and African American broadcaster advocacy group NABOB condemned the party-line vote cast by the Commission. So did the Multicultural Media and Correspondents Association (MMCA).
In a joint statement, MMTC, MMCA, and NABOB believe the elimination of the current 39% cap “is a completely lawless exercise that will undermine competition and jobs, deter innovation, drive up prices, and replace relevant local news with canned national storylines.”
As the groups see it, the 39% cap enacted in January 2004 “helps to preserve one of the last areas of competition and media diversity, ensuring that trusted, local voices don’t get merged out of existence and that journalism remains a viable path for the next generation of reporters and producers. All communities regardless of demographics, income, geography, or political affiliation, need relevant, local perspectives and coverage – exactly what Congress sought to defend when it passed [it].”
