media consolidation
AFTRA Member Testifies Against Relaxation of
Media Ownership Rules at FCC Town Hall Meeting in Oakland, CA
Oakland, CA (October 27, 2006) – Longtime AFTRA member and former Local Board Member Peter B. Collins testified against the relaxation of media ownership rules during the public comment portion of the October 27 FCC town hall meeting on minority media ownership held in Oakland, California, sponsored by the California State Conference of the NAACP.
Collins described the effects of consolidation both on his career as a broadcaster, and from the unique vantage point of an FCC licensee, as part owner of radio station KRXA. Imploring the FCC to “honor its commitment to the public interest and not to permit further relaxation of the ownership rules,” Collins observed “consolidation has led to the elimination of thousands of jobs in radio and TV, many newsrooms have been shut down, and the survivors are expected to recycle news at the expense of professionalism. For recording artists, only a handful of stations play local or regional artists, and if you are not on a big label, the big radio chains will ignore you.”
Karen Lipney, Assistant Executive Director of the AFTRA San Francisco Local, also reiterated AFTRA members’ opposition to the elimination or relaxation of the remaining ownership rules reflected in official public comments by AFTRA, which were submitted to the FCC on October 23. Offering three examples based on stories received from local AFTRA members, Lipney said, “AFTRA members know first-hand the effects of media consolidation on their jobs, lives and communities.”
Prior to the town hall meeting, Federal Communications Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps participated in an NAACP roundtable and continued listening as the town hall meeting began and continued into the evening.
United States Congresswoman Barbara Lee, NAACP’s California State Conference President Alice Huffman, Media Alliance’s Executive Director Jeff Perlestein, and Youth Media Council’s Executive Director Malkia Cyril made opening remarks.
Panelists included Allen Hammond, Santa Clara University, Broadband Institute of California; John McManus, Grade the News; Karen Slade, KJLH; Micheline Wilcoxen, Community Technology Organizing Consortium of Southern California; Paul Porter, Industry Ears; and Tram Nguyen, ColorLines. Paul Porter was an active broadcaster and AFTRA member before starting Industry Ears. Along with a crowd of over 400 attendees packing the Calvin Simmons room at the Oakland Marriott, each panelist spoke in turn of their unique perspectives, addressing their comments to Commissioners Adelstein and Copps.
Click here to listen to KPFA’s broadcast of the first four hours of the proceedings>>
