Beyond Cynicism: A Review of the FCC's Reasoning for Modifying the Newspaper/Broadcast Cross-Ownership Rule

In 1975, the FCC established the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership rule prohibiting common ownership of a daily newspaper and a full-power broadcast station that serve the same city. Unpopular among owners of media conglomerates since its inception, the rule has remained at the heart of the contentious debate over media ownership consolidation. More than three years after its failed attempt to justify modification in Prometheus Radio v. FCC, the FCC has again voted to change the rule. This article reviews the Report & Order, assessing the Commission's central arguments used to justify its position and posits that these arguments are largely unsubstantiated. The Commission clings to contestable assertions and stakeholder comments, while ignoring extensive empirical data that refute each claim. The lack of empirical evidence presented to justify such a major (and unpopular) decision suggests that the FCC might have been motivated by a neo-liberal agenda and/or influenced by the corporate media lobby.