Media General gets severe bashing at FCC hearing | Daily Loaf http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2010/04/21/media-general-gets...

CL HOME powered by NEWS & POLITICS WHAT IS DAILY LOAF? MUSIC gets severe bashing at FCC hearing It's Creative Loafing 's MOVIES & TV April 21, 2010 at 9:06 am by Mitch Perry one-stop-shop for all news relevant and ARTS & irreverent. ENTERTAINMENT Visit our homepage, FOOD & DRINK cltampa.com , for more goodness. GREEN COMMUNITY WMNF's SEX & LOVE Creative Loafing's Rob Lorei PLAYGROUND Twitterverse

Members from the Federal Communications Commission hosted a meeting on ownership rules cl_music for media companies on the University of South ’s Tampa campus on Tuesday afternoon, Celebrating Record as they contemplate allowing corporations more opportunities to take over broadcast outlets. Store Day at Mojo Books & Music Apparently not that many people care. with Sons of Hippies, free PBR and more Though that was our take as less than 50 people were in attendance at the all day event, but #tampamusic Brandy Doyle, Regulatory Policy Associate with the Prometheus Radio Project, begs to differ. http://bit.ly /9GOVwS 30 minutes ago Doyle, who has been attending such workshops over the past year, said it ” was actually quite large for an FCC event with no Commissioners present and no publicity in the newspapers or on cl_tampa This TV.” weekend’s best bets in Bay area music: Blind Boys The meeting, which lasted four and a half hours (though this correspondent could only make it through 4 hours, as we then ventured to a debate between Hillsborough Republicans hoping to Join the conversation take on Kathy Castor this fall), featured representatives from several local media groups, several FCC officials, and members of the public, who were given (more than) ample time to ask questions and have an exchange with officials about cross-ownership, and various other aspects SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW of media law. (click button for Sitting on the dais with a bullseye seemingly attached to him was John Schueler, President of feed) the Florida Communications Group with Media General, the Virginia based corporate owner of the (follow us on Tampa Tribune, WFLA News Channel 8, and TBO.Com, an example of cross-ownership that the Facebook) FCC said they came to Tampa to learn more about as a future model. (follow us on Twitter) The afternoon began with 10 minute presentations by those on the panel, such as La Gaceta’s Publisher and Editor Patrick Manteiga, who said “The leverage of having the county’s major daily newspaper and a TV station allows their representatives to get in the door of major advertisers CATEGORIES where single publication enterprises like mine are barred…..The promises of cross-owners and conglomerates are not reality. The Tampa Tribune is fading away at a faster rate than most dailies even with the heft of a television station at its side. Radio has no diversity of voice. It’s Activism either salacious or blaring out of only the right speaker.” Opinion Bernard Lunzer, President of the Newspaper Guild-CWA. He said that if the FCC lifts the cross- Arts & Entertainment ownership ban entirely, “it will have done nothing to preserve or promote quality information.” Instead, he suggested “there can be tax breaks for low-profit news organizations that commit to a state social purpose, like the L3C style corporation law that been drifting around Congress for Art Squeeze a couple of years. …There should be indirect ways for communities to own papers – call it the Backstage Bill M cKeen’s Book Blog Green Bay Packers model.” Events M ovies Karen Dunlap from the Poynter Institute said cross-ownership was not the critical issue when it comes to the FCC charge; she suggested increasing diversity of minority ownership, a lack of Blockbusters access for many in this country to broadband, and championing civil arguments were far more DVD/Blu-ray review important in 2010. M ovie Review Reel Projections Sundance Film Throughout the discussion, Media General’s Schueler suggested that government needed to “get Festival out of the way,” as he spoke forcefully that the cross-ownership ban needed to be rescinded. He Sunscreen Film said that his company had been devastated by the recession and the crises in reduced ads, Festival saying that there had been 1900 employees terminated by Media General in recent years Party Pics (locally, over 100 jobs have been lost in Tampa). Television Theater Moderator Steve Waldman asked Schueler how could all of those job losses possibly be “better” for his company or journalism overall, as he had been insisting? Schueler responded by saying Theater Review that those who still do have jobs now have multi-media skills as they’ve had to adopt to learning Visual Arts new things to be viable. Best of 2009 Best of the Bay At one point, USF-St. Pete Journalism Professor Robert Dardenne took exception to some of Best of the Decade Schueler’s terminology about “markets,” saying, “Words do matter. With markets you have books Business 1 of 2 4/22/2010 12:49 PM Media General gets severe bashing at FCC hearing | Daily Loaf http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2010/04/21/media-general-gets...

Home Best of the Bay News Music Arts Food & Drink Blogs Movies CLTV Sensory Overload Bad Habits Business Directory Super Bowl The Straight Dope Promotions Classifieds Listings Personals Archives CL on your Mobile FAQs Info Advertising Jobs About Us Submit a Listing Contact Us Privacy Policy Staff RSS National Advertising

© 2010 Creative Loafing Media All Rights Reserved.

2 of 2 4/22/2010 12:49 PM