FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:

February 21, 2003 Rosemary Kimball 202-418-0511

e-mail: <rkimball@fcc.gov>

**PANELS AND AGENDA SET FOR PUBLIC HEARING IN RICHMOND, VA.**

**ON BROADCAST OWNERSHIP RULES**

Washington, DC -- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today
announced the format, list of panelists and moderator for its previously
announced field hearing on broadcast ownership rules to be held in
Richmond, VA. The one-day field hearing is being held Thursday, February
27, 2003, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at the Greater Richmond Convention
Center.

The hearing will be organized into three panels, each of which will
focus on one of the FCC's key policy goals of broadcast regulation --
diversity, localism and competition. The panel members were selected
with the goal of making the panels balanced and informative, and include
representatives from consumer groups, industry and leading academic
institutions. After each panel, there will be an opportunity for any
member of the general public to make comments during "open microphone"
sessions. A list of panelists is attached.

Thomas Krattenmaker will moderate the hearing. Mr. Krattenmaker is
currently Senior Counsel in the Washington office of the law firm Mintz,
Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC, where he specializes in
telecommunications transactions and antitrust issues. Before joining the
firm, he was Director of Research in the FCC's Office of Plans and
Policy under Chairman William Kennard. He has taught and written
extensively on constitutional law, antitrust law and communications law,
policy and regulation in positions at Georgetown University, the College
of William and Mary, the University of Connecticut and the University of
Natal in South Africa.

The FCC's review of broadcast ownership rules has generated one of the
most exhaustive records in Commission history. The FCC has received more
than 15,000 comments in this proceeding, the majority of which are from
the general public.

The six broadcast ownership rules to be discussed at the hearing and the
years they originally were adopted are:

1.  Newspaper/Broadcast Cross-Ownership Prohibition (1975);

2.  Local Radio Ownership (1941);

3.  National TV Ownership (1941): remanded by D.C. Circuit;

4.  Local TV Multiple Ownership, aka "Duopoly rule" (1964): remanded by
    D.C. Circuit;

5.  Radio/TV Cross-Ownership Restriction (1970);

6.  Dual Television Network Rule (1946).

The hearing is open to the public and seating will be available on a
first-come, first-served basis. All interested persons are invited to
attend.

A live audiocast of the hearing will be available, on a first-come,
first-served basis, through the FCC's Web site at
[www.fcc.gov](http://www.fcc.gov/). In addition, the transcript will be
available on the FCC Web site within 14 business days of the hearing.
The transcript will be a part of the record in the broadcast ownership
rulemaking proceeding.

Requests for reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities
should be made by sending an e-mail to: [fcc504@fcc.gov]{.underline}.
Include a description of the accommodation you will need including as
much detail as you can. Also include a way we can contact you if we need
more information. Make your request as early as possible; please allow
at least 5 days advance notice. Last minute requests will be accepted,
but may be impossible to fill. Contact the following Consumer &
Governmental Affairs Bureau staff: for sign language interpreters, CART,
and other reasonable accommodations, contact Helen Chang, 202-418-0424
(voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY), [hchang@fcc.gov]{.underline}; for
accessible format materials (braille, large print, electronic files, and
audio format) contact Brian Millin, 202-418-7426 (voice), 202-418-7365
(TTY), [bmillin@fcc.gov]{.underline}.

Interested members of the public may also participate in this proceeding
by filing comments electronically using the Commission's Electronic
Comment Filing System (ECFS) and ECFS Express at
[www.fcc.gov](http://www.fcc.gov/).

> \- FCC -
>
> For further information, contact Amelia Brown, Consumer & Governmental
> Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-1400.

MB Docket 02-277