1 Taking Back the Airwaves Are The Media Serving the Public Interest? Ron Cooper Sacramento Media Group

What We’ll Cover Sacramento Media Group and its mission Responsibility of the FCC in preserving our public interest Critical issues in media reform How you can make a difference

3 Sample Section divider slide Sacramento Media Group (SMG)

Who We Are We are a non-profit, non-partisan citizens' lobby organization Established in 2003 by volunteer community members Today’s members include activists from many organizations including the League of Women Voters, Access Sacramento Community Media Center, and other community-minded groups

Our Mission SMG believes that independent, diverse media are essential to the health of American democracy. We advocate on issues related to print, broadcast, and Internet media Oppose concentration of media ownership Denounce “fake news” Preserve funding for public, education and government access to airwaves Monitor corporate media and their regulatory bodies Increase community awareness of critical broadcast and Internet issues

What We Want You to Know As a result, we have less information to make the important decisions that affect our families, communities, state, and country. These companies: Use the public airwaves at no charge – worth an estimated $750B Have powerful special interest lobbies in Washington, DC Control the flow of ideas and information to our homes A Handful Of Companies Dominate The Media Market

7 Sample Section divider slide FCC and Media Control

Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Established as an independent US government agency by the Communications Act of Charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. Directed by 5 commissioners appointed by the president for 5 year terms; only 3 may be of the same political party. The FCC gave broadcasters the privilege of using public airwaves free in exchange for an obligation to serve the “public interest, convenience, and necessity.”

Has the Public Interest Been Served? 1981 Broadcasters abandoned voluntary code of conduct which established standards through industry self- regulation FCC repealed provisions of the Fairness Doctrine requiring broadcasters to provide reasonable opportunities for contrasting/dissenting views 1984 FCC eliminated requirements of broadcasters to reach out to public to determine community needs Telecommunications deregulation bill allowed further ownership consolidation in radio and television markets FCC created “postcard renewal process,” throwing aside detailed review of whether broadcasters meet obligations.

More Media Control in Fewer Hands Source: The Fallout From the Telecommunications Act of 1996: Unintended Consequences and Lessons Learned, Common Cause, May Lifted the 40 station limit on the number of radio stations one company could own. The Telecommunications Act of 1996: It made possible the creation of radio giants like Clear Channel with more than 1200 stations. Lifted the 12 station limit on the number of local TV stations any one corporation could own. Today just 6 companies control 75% of all prime-time viewing Deregulated cable rates.Between 1996 and 2003, rates increased nearly 50% Extended term of a broadcast license from 5 to 8 years. Made it more difficult for citizens to challenge license renewals.

More Media Control in Fewer Hands Number of corporations that control a majority of U.S. Media Source: Ben Bagdikian’s The Media Monopoly, 2004

Today 6 Corporations Control the Media Scene Corp/CEO Broadcast TVCable/Satellite TVInternet Walt Disney Robert A. Iger ABC Network ABC Family Disney Channel ESPN, ESPN2 Time Warner Richard D. Parsons Turner Broadcasting Warner Bros. Television HBO Time Warner Cable America On Line (AOL) Viacom Philippe Dauman Comedy Central, Logo, BET, Spike, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, CMT, MHD CBS Les Moonves CBS UPN Infinity Broadcasting Showtime Networks General Electric Jack Welch NBC Universal, NBC Television Network, NBC Universal Television Group, NBC News Telemundo MSNBC, Bravo and the Sci Fi Channel CNBC.com hulu.com (a joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp.) News Corporation Rupert Murdoch Fox Television Network Fox Broadcasting Co. My Network TV FOX Business, FOX Classics, FOX Movie Channel, FOX Sports Net, FX Networks, SPEED Channel, FUEL TV, Big Ten Networks, National Geographic Channel SKY Television Network, STAR TV Foxsports.com MySpace Photobucket RottenTomatoes Partial listing of media organizations owned in full or part For more information, go to:

Today 6 Corporations Control the Media Scene Corp/CEO PrintOther holdings Walt Disney Robert A. Iger Film – Walt Disney Motion Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, ABC Studios, Pixar, SoapNet, Muppets Holding Company, Toon Disney Resorts – Theme parks (11) in Florida, California, Japan, France, China Time Warner Richard D. Parsons Magazines - Time Inc. magazines including: Entertainment Weekly, Essence, Fortune, Life, Money, Sports Illustrated, Sunset and Time Films – Warner Brothers, Castle Rock, DC Comics, New Line Cinema Viacom Philippe Dauman Film Production & Distribution – Viacom International, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, Republic Pictures, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies CBS Les Moonves Television Production - Paramount's television studio Outdoor Advertising -- Viacom Outdoor General Electric Jack Welch Magazines - SciFi Magazine Commercial Finance Industrial Infrastructure Money Healthcare News Corporation Rupert Murdoch Newspapers – more than 100 newspaper in the world including the London Times, The Sun, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s Magazines - TV Guide, The Weekly Standard, and more than thirty magaizines in Australia and England Books – Harper Collins Music – My Space Records and holdings in India and Russia Sports – National Rugby League (Aus. & NZ) and Colorado Rockies baseball Studios – 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight, Fox Television Studios, and many others Misc – Stats Inc., FOX Sports Grill

14 Sample Section divider slide Critical Issues in Media Reform

National Media Monopolies Public Interest Obligations (PIO) of Broadcasters Net Neutrality “Fake News”

California Protecting & Expanding Community Media Expanding Access to Media in Low Income & Rural Communities

Sacramento Political coverage by local TV stations Sacramento WiFi

18 Sample Section divider slide Together We Can Make a Difference

SMG Helps You Stay Connected & Aware As a resource for media issues As a place to meet with other media activists First Monday of each month 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Coloma Community Center For current monitoring of local broadcasters and their PIO obligation For current media matters posted on our website Look to the Sacramento Media Group For more information, contact: JoAnn Fuller, Sacramento Media Group (916)

SMG Helps You Stay Connected & Aware Navigate to: Select your state Select Media Reform > Sacramento Media Group

Additional Resources

You Provide the Action Join Sacramento Media Group Write to your local TV station Get involved with local community media Contact Congress & the FCC to register your concerns Share this information with others Remember, the airwaves belong to you!

23 Sample Section divider slide Appendix

Sacramento TV Coverage: Election Nov Scope of Project Urge local television stations to meet the national benchmark* of a minimum of 5 minutes of candidate-focused, election-issue discussion per evening for 30 days preceding an election. *Set by the bipartisan Presidential Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters (PIAC). Source: Sacramento Television Coverage of the November 2006 General Election: A Public Interest- Public Airways Community Project, Sacramento Media Group, November SMG Goals Analyze and report stations’ performance against above standards. Analyze and report on content in station public files, required by the FCC, including revenues from political advertising during 2006 election. Participate in a local television news monitoring investigation sponsored by California State University, Sacramento

Local Television Broadcasters Contacted StationNetwork Parent Corporation Agreed to Participate in Interview 3 KCRANBCHearst-ArgyleYes 10 KXTVABC Gannett Broadcasting No Response 13 KOVRCBSViacomYes 19 KUVSUnivision Univision Communications No Response 40 KXTLFox Tribune Broadcasting Yes

Content of Public Files Political Advertising for Statewide Offices Figures in millions of dollars

Sacramento TV Coverage: Election Nov Key Findings Only one Sacramento station, Channel 3, met the minimum PIAC standard of 5 minutes per night of election-related coverage during the 30 days before Election Day on Nov. 7, 2006 The race for governor received the most coverage, 34%, though the race was not considered to be competitive during the final month Public files at all stations were of limited use in evaluating how well the stations were meeting their FCC mandated public interest obligations. During the period from Sept. through Election Day, the 5 local broadcasters received an estimated total of $32 million in political advertising Source: Sacramento Television Coverage of the November 2006 General Election: A Public Interest- Public Airways Community Project, Sacramento Media Group, November 2007.