No more Clear Channel! Stop the FCC Media Giveaway - Despite a national call for a delay, the FCC is poised to vote on media consolidation rules on June 2nd. Clear Channel has become the symbol of media consolidation, growing from a small-time operator of 40 stations to the nation's largest radio station owner, with more than 1,200 stations; Diverse Organizations from Around the Country Testify Against Media Consolidation. Big media conglomerates get even bigger that will spell more sensationalism, more crassness, homogenization and even less serious news coverage than we have today. You call this the McDonaldization of American media.
8:00-8:01 Billboard 8:01-8:06 Headlines 8:06-8:07 One Minute Music Break 8:07-8:20 No more Clear Channel! Stop the FCC Media Giveaway - Despite a national call for a delay, the FCC is poised to vote on media consolidation rules June 2nd No more Clear Channel! Stop the FCC Media Giveaway that s the cry today with the deadline for the FCC vote on new media regulations just days away. While Secretary of state Gen. Colin Powell led the U.S. invasion against Iraq, his son, Michael Powell, was clearing the way for further consolidation of the media in the U.S. Protest actions are planned today in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Portland Oregon and Pittsburgh against the new rules which would threaten independent voices in broadcast radio and television. But what is Clear Channel? Since the most recent FCC vote in 1996 to ease media ownership rules in the radio industry, Clear Channel has grown from a small-time operator of 40 stations to the nation's largest radio station owner, with more than 1,200 stations. * Eric Boehlert, Senior writer at Salon.com who has written extensively about Clear Channel Communications and its impact on the deregulation of media ownership rules. Links: http://www.salon.com 8:20-8:21 One Minute Music Break 8:21-8:58 Diverse Organizations from Around the Country Testify Against Media Consolidation From the National Rifle Association to the antiwar group, Code Pink, organizations around the country are speaking out against media consolidation. On June 2nd, the FCC is poised to overhaul decades-old rules governing media ownership allowing for further consolidation. Like the 1996 Telecommunications Act the most significant media act in 50 years the upcoming vote has received no attention in the mainstream corporate media. The corporate media itself has jointly-filed comments supporting the deregulation. Today we hear the latest gathering of journalistic organizations and other groups opposed to deregulation of media ownership rules. The gathering took place on in Washington DC May 27th. 8:58-8:59 Outro and Credits Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie Karran, Sharif Abdul Kouddous, Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press with help from Noah Reibel and Vilka Tzouras. Mike Di Filippo is our music maestro and engineer. Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Emily Kunstler, Orlando Richards, Simba Rousseau, Rafael delaUz, Gabriel Weiss, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Karen Ranucci, Fatima Mojadiddy, Denis Moynihan and Jenny Filipazzo.
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