Should there be new FCC regs on media ownership? I have some ideas in mind, but I'm unsure if anything would be feasible.

Prior to the 1970's, businesses or individuals could own a television station and radio station in the same market. For example, Time-Life Inc. owned WOOD-AM and WOOD-TV until 1972. West Michigan Broadcasting used to own both WZZM-TV and WZZM-FM. Then the FCC changed the rules and said you couldn't own a TV/radio station combo. You also couldn't own more than one TV station in a market for a number of years.

In Milwaukee WKTI, WTMJ, TV4 and Milwaukee Journal are all under ths same owner, but I believe they are grandfathered in.

In Chicago though, Sam Zell won approval to own WGN Radio & TV and 2 Cable channel. and the Tribune Newspaper. They only thing they lack is an FM.

This is what I'd like to see:

FCC proposal for media monopoly breakup:

Individuals or corporations could only own one television station in each market affiliated with the major 4 networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FBC) and one television station that is affiliated with a minor network (CW, MyNetwork, ION, America One) or independent. Cannot own radio stations or newspapers in the same market. Cannot own more than a total of 20 television stations nationally, of those only 10 stations can be affiliated with the major 4 networks and only 10 stations can be minor network affiliates or independents.

Individuals or corporations could only own four radio stations in each market, no simulcasting of programming. If you own one station that has a sister with matching call sign, you must own both (e.g. WOOD AM and WOOD FM). Cannot own television stations or newspapers in the same market.

What do you think? Pipe dream or feasible?

Pretty close to what I'd like to see. How's this?

One AM/FM combo per market (I don't care about TV, I live in a small market). I don't see any problem with cross ownership with a newspaper. We have a situation in my Washington market where one group owns 6 signals and another 4. But here's the BIG change.

NO TRANSLATORS except to fill in holes in your FM coverage from your city of license. Probably the worst thing that has happened to small/medium market radio is signals being translated in from 100 or 200 miles away. That's a joke. One of the players in our market is a 250 watt FMer from 120 miles north. Doesn't serve it's city of license worth a damn and perpetrates a fraud on the maket it pitches to.

I think those rules have changed. How, otherwise, could CBS pull off the purchase of WWJ-TV and WKBD-TV when they already owned two AM's and six FM's in Detroit?



WTMJ-AM/WTMJ-TV/WKTI are grandfathered, since that group existed before the cross-ownership took effect. When Hal Gross sold WJIM-AM/FM/TV in 1984, I'm sure he would have loved to unload the whole thing as a package, but the laws didn't allow it at the time.