Bad Reasons for 400

The Wall Street Journal's lead editorial today takes another look at the House's overturning FCC ownership rules.

Fox owns 37 of the 1,340 stations in the U.S., and the rules would allow it to buy, oh, maybe another five. Even Rupert Murdoch will need more than a few new outlets in Topeka and Palm Springs to effect world domination.

The editorial points a lot of reasons that 400 reps voted to rescind reform. All of them are bad:

Democrats complain that a higher cap is a sop to the "conservative" Fox network (never mind that the rule will also let Dan Rather's employer, Viacom, into more markets). A few Senate Republicans--such as Mississippi's Trent Lott--feel their home state "liberal" media has been mean to them and see the caps as a way to get even.

I join the WSJ Ed page in hoping that W supports Michael Powell on this.

Posted by jk at July 25, 2003 08:22 AM