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GUEST: Alexandra Russell, Program Director of Free Press

Last week, the Tribune Company media group filed in federal court to challenge a media ownership decision by the Federal Communications Commission. Tribune was granted a permanent waiver on cross-ownership restrictions by the FCC in Chicago, but received temporary waivers in other major cities. The legal appeal contends that the legal group should have been granted permanent exemptions on regulations against owning both newspapers and stations in major cities throughout the United States. In the meantime, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin believes that cross-ownership regulations should be done away with in top media markets and has set a vote on such a proposal for December 18th. In response, the Senate Commerce Committee recently passed a Media Ownership Act. If the bill were to become law, it would adopt new rules increasing localism as well as representation of women and minorities in media ownership.

For more information, visit www.stopbigmedia.com.

Free Press will hold its next Media Reform Conference in Minneapolis June 6-8, 2008. For more information, visit www.freepress.net.