TV networks to lobby Congress on FCC rule

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Four U.S. television networks are planning a renewed lobbying effort with Congress to defend easing media ownership rules.

News Corp.'s Fox, General Electric's NBC and Viacom's CBS had lobbied aggressively to lift the decades-old Federal Communications Commission's rule. That rule limited the national television audience one company could reach by owning local TV stations to 35 percent. The new rules would raise that to 45 percent and ease rules on owning newspapers and broadcast outlets in the same market.

The larger the audience the better deal the network can get on advertising rates, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Last June, the FCC changed the rule but an unexpected bi-partisan backlash occurred in Congress and among special interest groups from both ends of the political spectrum.

Congress has taken some measures that would, if passed, quash the changes, due to take effect in October.

However, the three networks, now joined by Disney's ABC, say they have survey data indicating that the public doesn't care who owns a local television station.

Pollster Frank Luntz found that 87 percent of those polled think they have an adequate number of choices for receiving news and that only 11 percent believe network ownership of their local station is a bad thing.