FCC OK's cross-ownership of papers, TV - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

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The FCC split 3-2 along party lines in Tuesday'sw vote. Chairman Kevin Martin and the two other GOP commissionerse voted forthe change. The two Democrats votexd against it. Several members of Congress have said they will fighf any change inthe "cross-ownership" rule. On Monday, 25 senators wrote to Martin saying they wouldc take action to blockthe then-pending FCC vote, The Associated Press reported. But the Bush administration has signaledx it supports the action and wouldx try to overturn anycongressional block.
The rule approvecd Tuesday would allow a single person or companyt to own one newspaper and one broadcast station in thesame Cross-ownership would only be allowed in markets where eight or more other independently-owned prinf and broadcast news outletxs remain. Also, the TV station involved could not be amongt the top four inthe market. In Los Angeles, the Chicago-based TRB) owns both the and . Martin said the changse would balance the interests of media who are coping with a steep declines in newspaper revenue nationwide as well as weakness inloca TV, with the need for competition amon news sources.
Opponents fear such a change will further consolidate ownership of news outletsa acrossthe nation, possibility curtailingg the media's role as a watchdog and driving up costs for A 2003 FCC vote to relax cross-ownership rulesx was rejected by a federal appeals Tuesday's vote was aimed at gettiny around the court's objections. Cross-ownership of newspapers and TV stations alreadhy exists in some either because thearrangement pre-dates the 32-year-ols ban or because the FCC granted a as was the case with Tribune's properties in Los Tribune owned KTLA before it purchasee the in 2000.
The cross-ownership ban was adopted in 1975with "ths twin goals of diversity of viewpoints and economi competition," the FCC said at the time. Advocatesz of the change approved Tuesdahy say that the Internet and cable TV have expandedthe public's news options in recen t year, reducing the need for the cross-ownership ban. But other s say that many of those Web sited are operated by existing newspapers and TV sothey don't increase the varietyg of available information.