In the ever-changing media landscape, newspapers, radio stations and broadcast television networks working together to deliver quality news and entertainment that audiences want would be a welcome step forward.
Outdated federal regulations that prohibit cross-ownership of different media entities stand in the way of this kind of progress. The Federal Communications Commission wants to change that but faces legal roadblocks.
The FCC hasn’t given up. Last week, it filed a petition to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals for a full-court review of a panel decision in the case of Prometheus Radio Project v. FCC.
A panel of judges challenged the FCC’s statutory authority to regularly review and modify or eliminate burdensome regulations.
Yet, Congress has directed the FCC to review its media ownership regulations every four years. A panel of judges should not stand in the way of that.
If a local tv station wants to own a local newspaper station, why should the FCC stand in the way?
We can envision what this regulatory rollback could mean for consumers: efficiencies and expanded reach. Shared news teams can produce local stories that residents can watch in the morning or evenings or listen to in the car.
We support efforts by the FCC to challenge the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Given that newspapers are dying this regulatory rollback could be a way to keep local news in television and print alive.