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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  News  Media  contact:  February  5,  2003  Alex  Johns  at  (202)  418-  2000 
 FCC  COMMISSIONER  MICHAEL  J.  COPPS  ANNOUNCES  TWO  NEW  MEDIA  CONCENTRATION  HEARINGS; 
 CALLS  FOR  PROTECTION  FOR  FEARFUL  WITNESSES 
 Commissioner  Michael  Copps  today  stated  that  “in  order  to  increase  public  access  to  the  Commission  before  the  most  important  decision  we  will  make  this  year,  I  am  announcing  two 
 field  hearings  on  media  concentration  –  one  in  Seattle  in  early  March  at  the  University  of  Washington;  and  a  second  in  Durham,  North  Carolina  later  in  March  at  Duke  University.” 


 Copps’  remarks  came  as  he  delivered  the  McGannon  Lecture  on  Communications  Policy  and  Ethics  at  Fordham  University.  He  explained,  “I  have  invited  each  of  the  other 
 Commissioners  to  these  hearings,  which  will  give  us  the  opportunity  to  receive  testimony  from  interested  parties  in  regions  directly  impacted  by  our  decisions.  I  think  that  talking  to  citizens  in 
 places  like  Washington  State  and  North  Carolina  is  needed  before  we  can  make  an  informed  decision.  We  can’t  pretend  everyone  reads  the  Federal  Register  or  has  lobbyists  to  make  their 
 voice  heard  at  the  FCC.  We  have  a  responsibility  to  reach  out.” 
 Commissioner  Copps  also  called  for  the  FCC  to  establish  a  special  procedure  to  combat  retribution  against  those  who  testify  against  media  consolidation.  “It  has  been  a  revelation  to  me 
 that  there  are  media  professionals  with  strong  feelings  about  the  downsides  of  consolidation  for  the  American  people  who  are  afraid  to  speak  for  fear  of  retribution.  I  hear  privately  that 
 speaking  out  on  this  issue  would  cost  many  people  their  careers.  If  this  is  true  then  we  need  to  find  a  way  for  them  to  be  heard  without  fear  of  retribution.  I  am  working  with  my  fellow 
 Commissioners  to  establish  an  anonymous  testimony  procedure  for  any  producer,  writer,  musician,  actor,  broadcaster,  or  other  media  professional  who  feels  threatened.  I  recognize  that 
 this  presents  challenges  for  a  public  proceeding,  but  so,  too,  does  a  climate  of  fear  that  chokes  off  needed  input  for  important  decisions.” 


 At  issue  is  the  FCC’s  review  of  rules  that  seek  to  protect  localism,  independence,  and  diversity  in  the  media.  These  rules,  among  other  things,  currently  limit  a  single  corporation  from 
 dominating  local  TV  markets;  from  merging  a  community’s  TV  stations,  radio  stations,  and  newspaper;  from  merging  two  of  the  major  TV  networks;  and  from  controlling  more  than  35%  of 
 all  TV  households  in  the  nation.  Chairman  Michael  Powell  has  announced  that  the  Commission  will  vote  on  whether  to  fully  or  partially  eliminate  these  rules  this  spring. 


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