The FCC wants to let Big Media get bigger in 17 hours, 31 minutes and 31 seconds — act now!

SIGN THE PETITION NOW PLEASE!!!!!

http://action.freepress.net/campaign/ownership

Dear ----------- (Your Senators)

I am writing to urge you to support S 2332, the "The Media Ownership Act of 2007." This legislation will ensure that the Federal Communications Commission addresses the dismal state of female and minority ownership before changing any rules to unleash more media concentration.

Nearly 99 percent of the public comments received by the FCC oppose changing the nation's media ownership rules to allow a handful of large conglomerates to swallow up more local media outlets. Congress rejected the same changes to the rules in 2003. Yet the FCC is still pushing a plan to overhaul the rules by the end of the year.

This legislation would mandate that the FCC give the public 90 days' notice before holding a vote on new rules to ensure a full public accounting of the impact of media consolidation before changing the ownership limits. These steps are necessary to preserve diverse local media that meets the needs of our communities.

Diversity is the cornerstone of a democratic media system. Yet research by Free Press found that that while minorities make up 33 percent of the U.S. population, they own less than 8 percent of radio stations and 3 percent of TV stations.

This legislation would create an independent task force to address the crisis in minority media ownership.

Our democracy requires the free flow of local information from diverse voices. Please support the "The Media Ownership Act of 2007."

Thank you,

(Your name)
(Your address)

Play Whack-a-Murdoch!

http://www.stopbigmedia.com/=whackamurdoch

Play The Game. Then Take Action.

This is more than just a game. Rupert Murdoch spreads his political agenda into nearly every living room in America by buying up TV stations and other media across the country. In city after city, StopBigMedia is organizing a grassroots campaign against Murdoch's takeover.

Right now, the Federal Communications Commission is rushing through rule changes that would let moguls like Murdoch own even more newspapers and stations. Murdoch's media empire already includes the Fox Television, Fox News Channel, a maze of cable networks, radio stations, hundreds of newspapers around the world, and even Internet sites like MySpace. Recently, he gobbled up the Wall Street Journal and launched the Fox Business Network.

The media are our prime source of news and information. When we let a few giant conglomerates control so many outlets, quality journalism turns into junk media, and our democracy suffers. Tell your friends about "Whack-a-Murdoch," and join StopBigMedia.com's campaign to smack down media consolidation.

Civil Rights Groups Urge FCC to Postpone Media Ownership Vote

December 17, 2007

Leaders from the civil rights community are calling on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin to postpone tomorrow’s scheduled FCC vote to lift the longstanding ban on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership until the issue of the lack of minority ownership is addressed.

The signatories to the joint letter sent today to Chairman Martin include the National Hispanic Media Coalition, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Black Leadership Forum and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

In the letter, the groups write: “We are troubled that you would push for a Dec. 18 vote when you acknowledged during the Dec. 13 Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing that consolidation has harmed minority ownership. Yet your very plan would place minority ownership in greater jeopardy. Given the mounting evidence and criticism of the commission’s failure to address and examine the crisis in minority ownership, you are now attempting to adopt regulations tomorrow purportedly to increase the number of minority owners without adequate data and any thorough study on the issue. For example, you have failed to put out a proposal that defines a socially and economically disadvantaged business (SDB). We are also extremely concerned that the definition of a SDB will be too broad, further endangering minority ownership.”

The letter follows news that Chairman Martin continues to push for a vote to relax media ownership rules on Dec. 18 without regard to Congress’ wishes. The FCC is reviewing longstanding regulations that prohibit a company from owning both a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same market.

The full text of the letter is included below: .... http://www.freepress.net/news/29086