(Opinion) — There are only two ways of awarding federal broadcast licenses — to diversify ownership of the news media or to concentrate it. The public interest is to diversify ownership and thus power, but federal policy long has been to concentrate ownership
It is about to get worse with Nexstar Media Group’s acquisition of Tribune Media’s television stations for $4.1 billion, a combination that will allow Nexstar to reach 39 percent of homes in the country.
The most the federal government may do to limit the damage here is to require Nexstar to divest a few stations where they overlap in the same market, as two Connecticut stations involved in the combination do.
WTNH-TV8 in New Haven is already owned by Nexstar, while WTIC-TV61 in Hartford belongs to Tribune Media. They compete with each other throughout Connecticut.
There is speculation that the Federal Communications Commission will condition approval of Nexstar’s bid for Tribune Media in part on divestiture of the Hartford station.
But that won’t help diversity of ownership much if, as is expected, the Hartford station is acquired by another major owner of TV stations, Sinclair Broadcast Group, which itself had been bidding for the Tribune Media chain. In that case the net change for Connecticut would be the transfer of ownership of one of the state’s TV stations from a big chain to an even bigger chain.
Among the few members of Congress expressing skepticism about this consolidation in TV broadcasting is Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. But the public interest requires more than skepticism. It requires legislation reversing concentration of broadcast media ownership and establishing diversification of ownership as a primary objective of federal policy.
As the flow of information and opinion is concentrated in fewer hands, it becomes more difficult for all voices to be heard, democracy is weakened, and rich and powerful special interests become more so.
CT Mirror Photo
Chris Powell.
Chris Powell is a columnist for the Journal Inquirer in Manchester.
TV News is an oxymoron.
The repetition of themes, the lack of truly balanced coverage, all are part of big corporate ownership and the failure to serve the public or even pay lip service to that mission.<br /> The BBC is online and on NPR at times.<br /> The Intercept covers issues in depth and does great investigative reporting.<br /> On the local level, the NHI consistently breaks news and The Register is showing an effort recently to be more relevant.<br /> Squeaky Wheel Productions sponsors a radio outlet that also reports on issues of substance.<br /> Cable news is largely about ratings. With the exception of a few commentators, it is largely focused on what will grab viewers and avoids issues like climate change or capitalism v. socialism.<br /> The regulators are part of the system and the conglomeration of power reflects their choices.<br /> Greg Palast, Glenn Greenwald, Michael Moore and Paul Bass are the go-to reporters I trust. <br /> Streaming news via You Tube is far superior to anything the mass media offers.