STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS
FCC MEDIA OWNERSHIP HEARING
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
NOVEMBER 9, 2007
I want to thank every person in this hall for being here today.  You had almost no 
notice, many had other things  like work  to do, and you had to do a lot of rearranging 
to be here. Some came from afar by bus and by car.  Youre all here because you have 
something important to say.  Had we given decent notice, hundreds more would have 
come.  Maybe we should call this hearing indecent notice  with quite possibly an FCC 
indecent proposal on media ownership to follow.  
I know Seattle has important thoughts to share because Ive been here before 
twice for media ownership hearings  in March 2003, right before then-Chairman of the 
FCC Michael Powell shoved his near-catastrophic rules through the Commission  and 
again last November.  Commissioner Adelstein was here, too.  But tonight you have an 
opportunity to tell some of the other commissioners about whats happening to media in 
Seattle.  Make the most of it because this is the very last of the very few field hearings 
sponsored by the FCC.
Thank you, Senator Cantwell, for your statement.  Jonathan and I met with the 
Senator just 3 days ago, and we saw again how deeply she feels on this issue. Jay Inslee, 
thank you.  Youve been a tireless and eloquent leader on the issues were hear to discuss.  
Frank Blethen  what can I say  hes got the public interest in his bones and no one 
and I mean no one  has done more than Frank to spread the word and to right the wrongs 
inflicted by the media consolidation frenzy of the past decade.
Why in the world  when we see those harms everywhere around us:  closed or 
downsized newsrooms; homogenized, nationalized entertainment; people of color denied 
the chance to own and operate stations; women denied the same way; musicians  really 
good musicians  kept off the air by corporatized, nationalized Big Media; the dumbing 
down of civic dialogue on which the future of our democracy depends; the list goes on 
and on and on  the list of problems we have not tackled in anything approaching a 
comprehensive manner goes similarly on and on  so why the rush to change important 
ownership rules before we tackle these other problems that have been so long pending at 
the FCC?  
Did you ever notice that the FCC is always ready to run the fast break for Big 
Media, but its the four-corner stall when it comes to serving the public interest?  Well, 
its fast break time again.  Its time, well be told in the next week or two, to let Big 
Media get bigger still  probably by promoting more cross-ownership deals between TV 
stations and newspapers.  New research only confirms what weve suspected all along 
these sweetheart newspaper-broadcast combinations lead to less news and fewer voices in 
local markets.  I dont like it  not one little bit.  Do you? You know, a public opinion 
poll last week proves your fellow citizens dont like it either.  Over 70% say 
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consolidation has gone too far, and almost six people in 10 want Congress to pass a law
outlawing newspaper-television combinations in local markets! And this percentage is 
almost exactly alike whether you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent.
But Big Media is running that consolidation ball down the court anyhow.  
Imagine its a basketball game. There comes a defender against Big Medias drive  hes 
a person of color  he wants a chance to get that media ball and be a part of the action.  
But, oh-oh, the Big Media team knocks him down.  Someone tries to call foul but the 
FCC referee is looking the other way so no foul is called and the Big Media team 
continues its drive with no minorities on the court.  Theyre out of the game  no place on 
Big Medias court for them.  
Wait, here comes a public interest guard running down the court to meet Big 
Media.  Hes really mad Big Media is not playing fair; that the refs dont listen; that the 
other team has players who didnt even pass the eligibility rules.  Oh, thats right  the 
eligibility rules, the fairness rules, the certification and licensing rules have all been 
struck from the books by the Commission referees.  So the public interest guard gets 
knocked down, too.  The crowd boos, but the game goes on. Big Media has the court to 
itself.  Guess whos about to score. Sound familiar?
Thats where we are.  The rush is on to encourage more media deals and to start a 
new game, but without minorities and women able to even get out on the court, they 
wont be part of the new game.  And what happened to that poor public interest guard?  
Well, maybe he pulled himself up from the floor and hell be able to try again next 
season.  The problem is that the championship game is being decided before then.  
I get whats going on.  But I dont get why we should let it happen.  You folks, 
and millions of others, actually blocked Big Medias fast break when Michael Powell 
incidentally hes a powerful media deal-maker now  was ready to score.  Its time my 
friends, to stop Big Medias fast break one more time.  We dont need any bad new 
ownership rules  not one.  What we need to do is defeat any bad new ownership rules.  
But be vigilant.  With the oversight we now have on Capitol Hill, and with the issue 
bubbling again at the grassroots, Big Media and its accomplices may try to look a little 
less grasping this time.  Maybe theyll even settle for changing only one or two rules 
because they think they can get away with that.  They shouldnt get away with that.  So I 
want bad new rules to go down, and then I want to revisit the bad old rules that got us 
into this media mess in the first place. I want opportunities for minorities and women to 
be part of the action  not words, not promises, not a seat in the back of the media bus 
but rules before any vote to change ownership rules.  And I want us to address all the 
many public interest recommendations that have been mostly sitting locked in a drawer 
since 2000  before we vote on giving Big Media more power.
Heres the bottom line:  we, the FCC, have no business granting still more 
privileges to Big Media until we have measures in place so we know broadcasters will 
uphold their bargain  the pledge they made to serve the public interest in return for using 
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the peoples airwaves.  And if they dont uphold that bargain, you know what I think we 
should say?  Good-bye license.  
When I was in Seattle before, people asked me what they could be doing to help.  
I suggested one thing would be to contact all the FCC Commissioners and contact 
Members of Congress.  You did that, and for the Congress part, anyhow, it helped.  So I 
hope you will do that again.  But this time, lets raise the ante.  Lets take it to the top.  
Lets be heard in The White House itself.  I frankly dont know where the President is on
this. Hes got a lot on his plate.  But why not let him know that youre involved, you 
care, and youre watching.  Maybe he doesnt know the Commission is playing with such 
a hot potato.  And dont stop there. A lot of people in both parties want to be President.  
Let them know that a lot of Americans, in red states as well as blue, are fed up with 
whats happened to our media.  Let them know youre watching, you care, and this issue 
counts when youre getting ready to vote. Some of these candidates have already spoken 
up forcefully and well.  Thank them and tell them youre with them.  Tell the other
candidates what you think and what you want.
Well, some of you ask, if Im going to write the President or the candidates,
shouldnt it be about Iraq, or the lack of health insurance for 45 million Americans, or 
about creating new jobs, or educating our kids, or prying open the doors of equal 
opportunity?  But think about it.  If one of those issues is your number one issue, and its 
not going quite how youd like it to go, maybe thats because, increasingly, that issue is 
filtered and funneled to us by Big Media  if they even let it into the funnel. If you think 
that issue would benefit from a little more media attention, a little more diversity, a little 
more community input and competition, then it is important enough for you to contact 
these leaders.  You can be conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, red state or 
blue  theres no litmus test for getting involved.
I think a little more democracy in our media  a little more of airwaves serving 
you, their real owners  would be a blessing for America.  Media Reform: Take It to the 
Top. All in favor say Aye.  
Thank you very much.