Monday, 2 June, 2003

And now the news on Channel Only1, Wone news ltd. NPR, Lawrence Lessig, and Dave Winer all want you to know that today is the day: the day that the FCC announces its Media Consolidation Rules. Hang on to your copies of Manufacturing Consent and your hats people the ride is starting. Last week FC Comminisioner Michael Powell did an interview on NPR's morning edition (after declining to appear on the Newshour w/jim lehrer the night before before. The extra few hours were worth it, because the way he put it that morning made it all seen like it made sense and was the reasonable thing, and even good for us - gol darn it. Except it isn't, it will not promote or aid true diversity of the media, but only apparent or what can only be called psuedo diversity. One voice speaking with a number of cheesy fake accents. "It will be like when we adjusted the rules for radio ownership ten or so years ago - remember that." Oh yes, I remember that. What it will do is help a few well positioned media owners to successfully implement vertically intergrated corporate stuctures and become even more immensely rich and powerfull. I'd go on and say more, but I've gradually come to learn that when you only understand something from one aspect, you can do no good overstating your opinion. Ironically I have a sister who is an anti-trust lawyer, even an telecommunications anti-trust lawyer who understands the issues here very well. But I don't talk to her about this all that much - she works for a office in large federal agency whose work will be, affected somewhat by this ruling [project: "Sherman, Sherman who"] . ._._. pb _._ FCC Set to Vote on Media Ownership Rules [NPR News (Audio) 10:03:22 AM    comment [];

© Copyright 2003 Paul Bushmiller. Last update: 7/04/03; 16:18:28.