Jan. 27, 2004
Dialogue with presidential candidate John Kerry
By Peter Kiefer
Everything seems to be going John Kerry's way these days. Following his first-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and his front-runner polling numbers heading into the New Hampshire primary today, the Massachusetts senator has more than resuscitated his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, which just weeks ago had been written off by the political punditry. In the first in an occasional series of interviews with the Democratic contenders, Kerry spoke with The Hollywood Reporter's Peter Kiefer about entertainment and media-related issues.
The Hollywood Reporter: What are your thoughts on media consolidation, and do you believe it has become a problem in the country?
John Kerry: I think it is a serious problem in the country, and I was against the FCC decision and efforts to narrow the ownership of media outlets in America. I think the consolidation of information is a dangerous trend in America because it has the ability to shape our Democracy and shape the flow of information. I believe you need real competition, and you need limitations on that ownership. I have always been in favor of the restraints on the cross-ownership. You know we opened up a little on the radio, and I thought that was appropriate. But look, there have been changes, legitimate changes in the marketplace that reflect real access to information and real access to competition. I am open-minded. I serve on the (Commerce) committee, I have actually voted on these issues, and my record is very clear about favoring real competition, being smart about transitions in the industry that you have to take into account. But I am not going to be hoodwinked into believing that we are in a place today where there is sufficient competition in some of these areas, where we should lift the rules and consolidate, and I am against it.
THR: How has media consolidation affected the political process?
Kerry: Well, look, the loss of equal time requirements, I think was a blow. I was for equal time requirements. Because I think what's happened is that we got networks that are almost providing a single point of view, and I don't think that is wise. The competitive instinct between entities and the bottom line make the courage to carry counterprogramming very difficult for people, and the trend appears to confirm that.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/business/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2077032From the Office of Senator Kerry
KERRY SEEKS TO REVERSE FCC’S “WRONGHEADED VOTE”
COMMISSION DECISION MAY VIOLATE LAWS PROTECTING SMALL BUSINESSES; KERRY TO FILE RESOLUTION OF DISAPPROVAL
Monday, June 2, 2003
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator John Kerry today announced plans to file a “Resolution of Disapproval” as a means to overturn today’s decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to raise media ownership caps and loosen various media cross-ownership rules.
Kerry will soon introduce the resolution seeking to reverse this action under the Congressional Review Act and Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act on the grounds that the decision may violate the laws intended to protect America’s small businesses and allow them an opportunity to compete.
As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Kerry expressed concern that the FCC’s decision will hurt localism, reduce diversity, and will allow media monopolies to flourish. This raises significant concerns about the potential negative impacts the decision will have on small businesses and their ability to compete in today’s media marketplace.
In a statement released earlier today regarding the FCC’s decision, Kerry said:
“Nothing is more important in a democracy than public access to debates and information, which lift up our discourse and give Americans an opportunity to make honest informed choices. Today’s wrongheaded vote by the Republican members of the FCC to loosen media ownership rules shows a dangerous indifference to the consolidation of power in the hands of a few large entities rather than promoting diversity and independence at the local level. The FCC should do more than rubber stamp the business plans of narrow economic interests.
http://kerry.senate.gov/text/cfm/record.cfm?id=204465