We need to make sure Obama's FCC chair KILLS media consilidation!

[Ken Burch]

He'll appoint somebody soon, giving the free speech side at least a theoretical majority. This is a battle where we can BEAT corporate power and set a real tone for "change".

[zanne]

1. I hear you!

I've been waiting for this for a long time. Please, Obama; don't blow it!

[happychatter]

2. I agree but I think we need even more.... we need to dial back... bust existing monopolies

if we, the people are ever to have a voice again

[Ken Burch]

7. We need that. And we need deregulation of low-power radio as well.

Let a Hundred Thousand Transponders Bloom!

[happychatter]

3. kicked - nt

[RepublicanElephant]

4. ...and obama revives the fairness doctrine while he's at it! nt

[1776Forever]

5. Would it be possible to dilute these strong holds with more & stronger access to Progressive radio?

I listen to a lot to 1580 AM Progressive Talk in Columbus, Ohio. The only way I can get it after 5 pm is on the net. The signal is distorted after that. I would like to see more power and more stations that I can listen to in the progressive air waves.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether or not that would be possible?

Thanks!

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. I'd like to see more progressive talk stations on FM radio.

So more people would have access to a better quality signal that didn't die at sundown. There's the rare exception like The Mic 92.1 in Wisconsin and you have college stations that run the Pacifica network, but it's certainly not common among Nova M or AAR afilliates.

HD radio opens up that possibility more than ever, but it hasn't exactly caught on yet.

[1776Forever]

11. That makes sense. I hadn't thought of FM. I had XM for awhile but can't afford it now.

Thanks for the reply.

[blogslut]

6. My hope is he will appoint this man

http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/copps/

[Lumpsum]

8. A fine line needs to be drawn.

Media consolidation is bad in a sense, but in this economy, mergers need to be allowed to happen more swiftly. Look at the XM/Sirius merger. It took so long to do that both companies almost went under.

[Sebastian Doyle]

10. Mergers are one of the reasons the economy is tanking to begin with

Your XM/Sirius example works here as well. You have a market that has only two companies competing. Then those two companies merge. Now you have a monopoly, and there isn't much likelihood of another satellite radio company opening up.

Don't want to drag this thread off topic, but the same scenario could be applied to Wall Street, the oil industry, the media overall, or about any other industry on the planet since they stopped enforcing the Sherman antitrust act and other such laws.