Opinion ID: 305487
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Concentration in the Washington Area Communications Media

Text: 51 While plaintiffs allege no specific abuses resulting from the fact that the Evening Star Broadcasting Company, the licensee of WMAL-TV, also owns two radio stations in Washington, D. C., and is in turn owned by the publishers of The Evening Star, one of the city's daily newspapers, they contend that these facts in themselves warrant a hearing on the question of undue concentration in the communications media. 52 Commission renewal of WMAL-TV's broadcast license, initially awarded in 1946, is in accord with its present multiple ownership rules. 52 These rules do provide that the facts of each case are to be considered in terms of the number of people served and the extent of competition, in order to determine whether there is a concentration detrimental to the public interest. This has been interpreted by the FCC to mean that hearings are appropriate where specific abuses are alleged to have resulted from the nature of the ownership structure. 53 53 In the absence of allegations of specific abuses arising from the Evening Star Broadcasting Company's ownership of WMAL-TV, and since the situation presented by the case at bar falls within the scope of the Commission's present multiple ownership rules, concentration of ownership of the communications media is not a proper basis for disapproving a license renewal request. 54 54 What plaintiffs are actually challenging is the wisdom of the Commission's multiple ownership rules. However, as noted above, the FCC is currently investigating-in the context of a rulemaking proceeding-whether it should adopt rules which would require divestiture by newspapers or other multiple owners in a given market. 55 And, as this court has stated, rulemaking proceedings are the most appropriate forum for Commission consideration of basic changes in policy. 56