FCC kills local newsroom requirement for TV and radio stations - Entrepreneur Generations

Yesterday the Federal Communications Commission eliminated a requirement that local television and radio broadcasters must maintain newsrooms in the communities they serve. "The outcome will likely be the elimination of many American communities’ primary lens for understanding the impact of local politics and policies, as well as a primary source of guidance when emergencies occur," Herckis reports for Route Fifty.

The rule was enacted in 1939 to ensure that stations would be "accessible and responsive to their communities. However, a local main studio is no longer needed to fulfill those purposes," an FCC fact sheet said. "Broadcast stations now interact with their communities of license online, and technology enables them to produce local news even without a nearby studio."

The FCC argues that broadcasters will also save money by consolidating media services and running them out of main offices in urban areas.

"Together, these actions could mean a significant change in local television programming and have significant implications for the future of policy discussions at the state and local level," Herckis reports. While local news blunders are often the butt of internet memes and jokes, the local news does provide a significant service, and local media newsroom elimination would have significant implications for state and local governing and public awareness."

The FCC's ruling bears added significance after an April decision to allow the merger of Tribune and Sinclair, "which would put the local television news of 70 percent of U.S. households in the hands of one company," Herckis reports.

from The Rural Blog http://ift.tt/2ixbXA7 FCC kills local newsroom requirement for TV and radio stations - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet