From Oregon ARM

NEWS ADVISORY

What: Federal Communications Commission is convening final public hearing on media ownership consolidation in Seattle, WA

Who: Official panelists include: Bruce Fife, President of the American Federation of Musicians Local 99 503 860 1905
Bernie Foster, Publisher of The Skanner (Portland and Seattle)
Erubiel Valladares Carranza, Engineer, KPCN LPFM Radio

Official testimonies from: Andrea Cano, Oregon Alliance to Reform Media 503 804 2785
Sue Diciple, Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission
Alan Bushong, Capitol Community Television 971 218 0825

When: Friday, November 9, 2007, 4 pm – 11 pm

Where: Town Hall Seattle, Great Hall , 1119 Eighth Avenue (at Seneca Street), Seattle, WA 98101

Editors: Additional testimonies will be offered by other Oregonians. Testimonies, quotes from additional organizations from throughout the region will be available tomorrow. By Monday, you will have the content of a virtual news conference. Please see our website and others for background information. We are driving up this morning and can be contacted for further info and refer you to the speakers and their cell phones. More interest in all of this in the wake of yesterday’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing – Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) announced plans to introduce legislation that would halt the Federal Communications Commission’s rush to gut longstanding media ownership rules.

The bipartisan “Media Ownership Act of 2007” — co-sponsored by Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) — would direct the FCC to conduct a separate proceeding on localism and create an independent minority and female ownership task force before moving forward with any changes to media ownership limits. The bill would also give the public a 90-day comment period on any proposed rules.

Last month, Senator Dorgan uncovered FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s secret plan to eliminate longstanding media ownership limits before the end of the year.

See: www.oregonarm.org

http://www.stopbigmedia.com/seattle.php
http://reclaimthemedia.org/legislation_and_regulation/fcc_to_announce_final_media_ow%3D5518

Andrea Cano