File Under: NAB responds.

I decided to move this up to a post as it intrigues me. Someone from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), actually responded to my post "File Under: NO NO NO NO," a person apparently named Chris posted this:

"I understand your frustration but the fact is the ownership rules haven't been updated in decades. Given the rather sizable developments and changes in the media industry in this time, the rules need to be addressed and updated.

I work with the NAB on this issue in advocating for our local broadcasters. In today's regulatory environment individual broadcasters cannot compete against the large online companies for advertising revenue they need to survive and provide free local programing. Only broadcasters are faced with these antiquated rules placing them at a severe competitive disadvantage.

The tremendous growth online and in cable and satellite TV gives us more options than ever to get our news and information, we are merely asking for the FCC to consider the realities of the current situation."

I responded thus:
"I am more concerned with the loss of difference in the news and opinion based content when multiple media outlets with multiple owners are merged in to a conglomerate with one owner. In my trade area we have gone from four for profit FM channels owned by multiple ownership, mostly local, to three of those channels under the ownership of one large national corporation. In my opinion the quality of local news and information from these channels is sub par, with absolutely no deviance in message, most often a regurgitation of a newspaper story. Luckily we have one local station left which provides a better service, utilizing local reporters and an actual editorial perspective.

One could argue that if that corporation decided to push a message relating to a story with a political bent, they would have undue influence in the area, as they have three avenues through which to push. That one local station my have an alternate perspective but will have to fight an uphill battle to get equal penetration. This is not paranoid delusion but simple flight and frequency concepts known to anyone with a passing acquaintance with marketing.

By the way, the broadcast media have those rules in place because they use the public airwaves in the generation of their revenue and therefore are required to meet certain criteria to the betterment of the communities in which they operate. It was the feeling, of those that put those rules in place, that a community was best served by media that answer to multiple masters. I tend to agree.

Thank you for reading CMP."