Pls Don't Say "Hopeless"; Take Action! E.g., MEDIA REFORM

[snot]

E.g., I see many comments here today expressing hopelessness about the fact that conservatives control the media.

Are you aware of the Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005?

Ok, we're trying to move mountains. I believe we can do it, IF we all push together. Please write our reps and the media about this legislation! And e-mail your friends about it!

Here's a "primer" on the Act: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=341
(info edited to avoid copyright violation; pls see link for MORE)

H.R. 3302, July 14, 2005
Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005 (MORA)
. . . .
Background
Although 80% of American homes receive cable and 70% have internet access, only 5 companies control all broadcast television stations and 90% of the top 50 cable networks, as well as produce 75% of all prime time programming. The companies that own most of the popular newspapers also own 85% of the top 20 internet news sites. Americans continue to rely heavily on traditional news sources like television, newspapers, and radio, but two thirds of the newspapers in this country have disappeared since 1975, one third of the independent television stations have done so, and there has been a 34% decline in the number of radio station owners since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed. In addition, independently produced pilots on the four national television networks dropped from 87% in 1990 to 22% in 2002.
. . . .
The Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005 would:
a. deny commercial cable broadcasting licenses to applicants who own a cable system whose service area overlaps the area served by the license.
b. deny commercial satellite broadcasting licenses to applicants who own a satellite carrier providing service to customers in the area served by the license.
c. give companies that are not in compliance one year to divest themselves of license until they are in compliance.
d. invalidate most of the Federal Communication Commission rules that were adopted on June 2, 2003.
. . . .
g. require such license recipients to hold public hearings twice a year, during which the community serviced by the broadcaster can voice concerns, and to publish the transcript of these hearings.
h. restrict the proportion of network video programming for prime time viewing that is network produced to 60% for the four largest television networks, and to higher thresholds for other networks.
. . . .
For Complete Bill: http://www.mediageek.org/archives/hr3032-mora.html

Please also support liberal efforts such as Air America and Current TV. To the extent you have suggestions for ways they can improve, let them know!

Here are some links with more info re- media reform (caveat: I haven't confirmed all these links lately), see:

The Fix is In: Corporate Media and the WH
From http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/43/deadline-finke.php

http://www.ecotalk.org/VotingMachineCompanies.htm
Big Media Interlocks with Corporate America

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/22021 :
Moyers Addresses PBS Coup

http://www.commondreams.org ; http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Corporations/Owners.asp ; http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/chart.shtml ; http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0407.turner.html ; http://www.leftgatekeepers.com/chart.htm ; http://www.corporations.org/media/ ; http://www.fair.org/views.html ; http://www.makethemaccountable.com/myth/LiberalMedia.htm

http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Corporations/Owners.asp ; see also http://fec.cdt.org/summary.html ; and http://www.reclaimthemedia.org/stories.php?story=03/11/26/5488520 <http://www.reclaimthemedia..org/stories.php?story=03/11/26/5488520> ; and you can sign on to a set of principals to protect free speech on the Internet here: http://fec.cdt.org/signup.php

[snot]

1. Plain text version (so you can copy with links intact)

E.g., I see many comments here today expressing hopelessness
about the fact that conservatives control the media.

Are you aware of the Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005?  

Ok, we're trying to move mountains.  I believe we can do it,
IF we all push together.  Please write our reps and the media
about this legislation!  And e-mail your friends about it!

Here's a "primer" on the Act:
http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/news.php?id=341
(info edited to avoid copyright violation; pls see link for
MORE)

H.R. 3302, July 14, 2005
Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005 (MORA) 
 . . . . 
Background
Although 80% of American homes receive cable and 70% have
internet access, only 5 companies control all broadcast
television stations and 90% of the top 50 cable networks, as
well as produce 75% of all prime time programming. The
companies that own most of the popular newspapers also own 85%
of the top 20 internet news sites. Americans continue to rely
heavily on traditional news sources like television,
newspapers, and radio, but two thirds of the newspapers in
this country have disappeared since 1975, one third of the
independent television stations have done so, and there has
been a 34% decline in the number of radio station owners since
the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed. In addition,
independently produced pilots on the four national television
networks dropped from 87% in 1990 to 22% in 2002. 
 . . . .
The Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005 would:
a. deny commercial cable broadcasting licenses to applicants
who own a cable system whose service area overlaps the area
served by the license. 
b. deny commercial satellite broadcasting licenses to
applicants who own a satellite carrier providing service to
customers in the area served by the license. 
c. give companies that are not in compliance one year to
divest themselves of license until they are in compliance.
d. invalidate most of the Federal Communication Commission
rules that were adopted on June 2, 2003.
 . . . .
g. require such license recipients to hold public hearings
twice a year, during which the community serviced by the
broadcaster can voice concerns, and to publish the transcript
of these hearings.
h. restrict the proportion of network video programming for
prime time viewing that is network produced to 60% for the
four largest television networks, and to higher thresholds for
other networks. 
 . . . .
For Complete Bill:
http://www.mediageek.org/archives/hr3032-mora.html

Please also support liberal efforts such as Air America and
Current TV.  To the extent you have suggestions for ways they
can improve, let them know!

Here are some links with more info re- media reform (caveat: I
haven't confirmed all these links lately), see:

The Fix is In: Corporate Media and the WH
From http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/43/deadline-finke.php

http://www.ecotalk.org/VotingMachineCompanies.htm 
Big Media Interlocks with Corporate America

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/22021 :
Moyers Addresses PBS Coup

http://www.commondreams.org ; 
http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Corporations/Owners.asp
;  http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/chart.shtml ; 
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0407.turner.html
;  http://www.leftgatekeepers.com/chart.htm ; 
http://www.corporations.org/media/ ; 
http://www.fair.org/views.html ; 
http://www.makethemaccountable.com/myth/LiberalMedia.htm 

http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Corporations/Owners.asp
; see also  http://fec.cdt.org/summary.html ; and 
http://www.reclaimthemedia.org/stories.php?story=03/11/26/5488520
<http://www.reclaimthemedia..org/stories.php?story=03/11/26/5488520>
 ; and you can sign on to a set of principals to protect free
speech on the Internet here:  http://fec.cdt.org/signup.php 

[Seansky]

2. thanks for this info

I have been supporting air am. and common dreams and democracynow. do you think there is a chance to bit the big media corporate lobbist, with all the money they have? I do hope so.