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Edited on Sat May-01-04 02:04 PM by Pallas180
(MN Senator) Dayton urges FCC to probe broadcaster 'Nightline' ban
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., called on federal regulators Friday to investigate whether one of the nation's largest owners of television stations, Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., unfairly denied the public access to ABC's "Nightline" program.
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In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell -- son of Secretary of State Colin Powell -- Dayton said Sinclair's action "highlights the growing danger of media consolidation in this country."
Dayton said it concerns him that a single company can use its public airspace to prevent eight major U.S. markets from seeing politically controversial programming.
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FCC spokesman David Fiske said he could not say what action the agency might take. "The letter will be read seriously and reviewed seriously," he said. "Congressional mail is always taken very seriously."
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Dayton, who opposed military action in Iraq, called the "Nightline" program "a public tribute to those soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice."
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