Media Access Project urged the FCC to reconsider a Media Bureau decision that approved the transfer of licenses of 4 radio stations by a former state senator convicted of committing perjury -- a type of transaction the Commission has never before permitted.
Long-time NAB Pres. Eddie Fritts officially launched the process of determining who will succeed him, reigniting speculation about his replacement. Fritts, 63, said he began the process now after witnessing the long succession processes at other associations, such as NCTA, MPAA and CTIA. Fritts’ contract runs until April 2006. He will continue as a consultant until 2008. “We are looking for someone who is skilled in the ways of Washington and who has a good reputation for unifying the industry,” Fritts told us.
Long-time NAB Pres. Eddie Fritts Wed. officially launched the process of determining who will succeed him, reigniting speculation about his replacement. The development prompted CEA Pres. Gary Shapiro to praise Fritts as a worthy adversary on many issues. Shapiro said Fritts had given him a “heads up” early Wed. of the impending development, saying it typified the 15-year relationship he and Fritts had shared in Washington.
Sinclair Bcstg. said it plans to appeal the FCC’s expected denial of its application to take over the licenses of 5 stations currently owned by Cunningham Bcstg. “If it’s rejected, we will appeal on the basis for the denial,” said Sinclair. Gen. Counsel Barry Faber.
The federal govt. won’t join a request that the U.S. Supreme Court overturn a lower court decision rejecting FCC action to ease media ownership limits, officials confirmed. The decision by the U.S. Solicitor Gen. (SG) and the FCC not to appeal is said to make it highly unlikely that the Supreme Court will hear the case.
FCC Comr. Copps called on the Commission to approve a set-aside of 25-35% of prime-time hours for independent producers and creators. Speaking by satellite to the NATPE conference, Copps said: “There’s just so much more creativity and genius out there than our media currently reflect. More independent programs would be a wonderful boon to diversity, localism and competition -- the 3 building blocks of a healthy and dynamic media environment.”
Chmn. Powell announced Fri. he will leave the FCC in March. With key issues pending for all communications sectors, sources agreed the next chmn. is likely to maintain Powell’s policies in the broadest sense, including an emphasis on competition and on promoting new technologies.
The acting Solicitor Gen., on behalf of the FCC, asked for another extension of time to decide whether to file for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on the media ownership rules. The FCC asked for an extension to Jan. 31; otherwise the petition is due Jan. 3. The Supreme Court will likely grant the petition because its docket is already full, said Media Access Project Pres. Andrew Schwartzman. The court also routinely grants govt. extensions. At issue is a 3rd U.S. Appeals Court, Philadelphia, media ownership ruling against the Commission’s liberalized rules. In June, the appeals court remanded the FCC’s major rules for cross- ownership of newspapers and broadcasters and the concentration of broadcast ownership in local markets. Schwartzman told the FCC in an ex parte filing that it was unlikely that the Supreme court would reverse the appeals court. He told the FCC it would be better to proceed with executing the appeals court’s directives because broadcasters’ ability to conduct transactions remain frozen.
The United Church of Christ (UCC) filed a petition to deny the license renewal of 2 Miami TV stations for rejecting the group’s controversial ad (CD Dec 2 p12). The group asked the FCC to deny WFOR-TV (Ch. 4, CBS) and WTVJ (Ch. 6, NBC) renewals for failing to recognize the UCC’s limited right of access to purchase air time in the absence of the fairness doctrine.
The draft TRO remand order circulating among commissioners doesn’t cover a wide area of issues, but rather is limited to concerns raised earlier this year by the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., FCC Wireline Bureau Chief Jeffrey Carlisle said Thurs. at an FCBA-Practising Law Institute conference. Carlisle told the group that the court basically upheld the impairment standard set in the earlier TRO order “so we're using the upheld standard to review 3 elements” questioned by the court -- local switching, high-capacity loops and transport. “We're not starting from zero and building up an unbundling policy,” he said.