Those who feel the national 35% TV ownership cap should stay sparred with those who feel it’s outdated and should be repealed during a U.S. Senate hearing on media ownership Tuesday. Viacom President/COO Mel Karmazin says the cap should go so that TV can grow like radio did following the repeal of the national radio limits in 1996.
Post-Newsweek CEO Alan Frank disagreed, saying the cap should be retained or even lowered to 25%.
Karmazin said TV and radio face more competitive threats now than they did just a few years ago, including the Internet and soon, satellite radio. He told Radio World: “Is there a market for it? Who knows?” He likened satellite radio to cell phones in the car. “It’s another distraction from the public listening to my radio station.”
On media ownership, Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest Hollings, D-S.C. has a bill in the works directing the FCC to report to the committee any proposed rule changes that would relax or repeal media ownership limits.