FCC plans draw fire: Democrats bash media ownership studies [View All]

[DeepModem Mom]

Variety: FCC plans draw fire
Dems bash media ownership studies
By WILLIAM TRIPLETT

As part of its current review of media ownership rules with an eye toward loosening them -- which already has sparked heated controversy -- the FCC announced plans to conduct 10 economic studies on the issue.

But the agency's two Democratic commissioners immediately attacked the plans as inadequate and secretive.

Studies will focus on individual topics such as the impact of ownership on programming; the relationship between cross-ownership and news reporting; and the status of minority ownership.

Announcement, issued Wednesday, identified study authors, who will include academics, FCC officials and the Nielsen organization. All studies will be peer-reviewed, the agency said.

"Today's announcement of the commission's new media ownership studies, unfortunately, raises more questions in the public's mind than it answers," commissioner Michael J. Copps said in a statement. "How were the (authors) selected for the outside projects? How much money is being spent on each project -- and on the projects collectively? What kind of peer-review process is envisioned?"...

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117954510.html?categoryid=18&cs=1