VITAMEDIAS
Three Media Firms Ask FCC To Abandon Ownership Rules: Three of the nation's biggest media companies asked federal regulators to scrap all of the government's media-ownership rules, a move that would make it far easier for television, radio and newspaper companies to combine with or acquire one another.
The joint request by News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group, Viacom Inc., which owns the CBS and UPN networks, and General Electric Co.'s NBC division may receive a fairly warm reception at the Federal Communications Commission. The commission is in the final stages of reviewing a half-dozen long-held ownership rules to see if they should be relaxed or eliminated altogether, and senior officials there sympathize with the companies' complaint that the rules are outdated.
FCC Flooded With Letters Opposing Media Consolidation: The FCC has received nearly 1,700 comments on a proceeding that could result in the agency dismantling many of its media-ownership restrictions. Many of the comments stem from a campaign organized by consumer groups, which oppose the proposed changes.