George W. Bush's positin on

Media Consolidation: The Congress passed the Telecommunications Competition and Deregulation Act of 1995 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996. These pieces of legislation increased the number of stations/media outlets that media conglomerates could own and operate without triggering FCC actions to encourage diversification of the media. This is an issue that has traditionally flown beneath the radar due to concerns about "Big Media's" influence in Washington. Both John Kerry and George W. Bush have supported policies that have increased consolidation in the past.

Candidate's position: George W. Bush is silent on this issue. He did appoint Michael Powell, son of Secretary of State Colin Powell, as head of the FCC. Powell has ruled consistently in support of further media consolidation during his tenure.

Quotation: none available

Assessment of the Proposal:

Negative: "The Bush administration, together with Tom DeLay, remains committed to giving the major media corporations the key to the candy store at every opportunity. The FCC is currently deciding whether to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court or submit rewritten versions to the appeals court. While the Bush administration is no stranger to strong-arm tactics designed to force its policy initiatives through the political system, Powell's attempt to do so stirred up a proverbial hornet's nest of resistance from virtually every point on the political spectrum. As Business Week Online reported in September 2003, "This isn't an antibusiness issue. The problem is Powell himself. At best, he has a tin ear for public relations, at worst; he seems to go out of his way to antagonize friend and foe alike. For instance, before the FCC passed the media consolidation changes on June 2, he refused to make public the 250-page FCC document that formed the justification for the move. He also held only one public hearing on the media rules changes." The Center for Public Integrity notes that during the months leading up to June 2, FCC commissioners held 71 off-the-record meetings with broadcast industry executives, while only meeting five times with consumer advocates." (Source: Eric Alterman, Center for American Progress, July 8, 2004)

Comparison: Timothy Karr does a pretty good job of comparing the candidates positions on media consolidation, or lack thereof in an article on Media Channel. Org: "Despite his comments on Sunday, Kerry -- like his opponent in the White House -- has consistently flown well beneath the radar on this issue. "Kerry's never been out there on media reform," said Robert McChesney, a leading author and scholar on the issue of media reform. "He strikes me as an inside-the-beltway, conventional political thinker for whom the idea of going after mainstream media in an election year is not a good thing." The risk, according to many media experts who were surveyed for this report, is in crossing a media establishment that exerts considerable force inside Washington. From 1999 through the end of 2003, Washington lobbyists pocketed $160 million in big media money to support dismantling rules against conglomerates owning more outlets in more markets, according to new numbers released yesterday by Common Cause. In the last eight years, big media has tipped more than $30 million into the war chests of federal candidates, with the larger share (62 percent) ending up in the hands of regulation-hostile Republicans. (See Common Cause's survey)Democrats have received their share as well. According to figures released earlier this year by the Federal Elections Commission, Kerry's campaign is being bankrolled by key executives within News Corporation, Viacom Inc. and Sony, who have pledged to raise close to $200,000 from individual donors for the Democratic candidate." (Source: Timothy Karr on Media Channel.Org, June 10, 2004)

Link to Kerry's issue brief

Sources

Alterman, Eric (2004). Think Again: Media Concentration: The Repudiation of Mr. Powell. July 8, 2004. Retrieved on October 17, 2004.

Elias, Marc (2004). Kerry Campaign Letter to Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. October 15, 2004. Retrieved on October 17, 2004.

Felux, Justin (2004). John Kerry: Media Darling. Online Article. Retrieved on October 17, 2004.

Karr, Timothy (2004). John Kerry Comes Out Against Big Media . . . Sort Of. Media Channel, June 10, 2004. Retrieved on October 17, 2004.

Kerry, John (2004). Remarks at UNITY 2004 Conference. August 15, 2004. Retrieved on October 17, 2004.

Nichols, John (2004). Kerry on the Media. The Online Beat-The Nation, August 7, 2004. Retrieved on October 17, 2004.