Obama Slams Media-Ownership Decision

Presidential Candidate: FCC 'Put Big Corporate Interests Ahead of the People's Interests'

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/18/2007 2:46:00 PM

Sen. and presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-Ill.) took the Federal Communications Commission to task Tuesday for its decision to loosen ownership rules.

"Today, the FCC failed to further the important goal of promoting diversity in the media and instead chose to put big corporate interests ahead of the people's interests," he said in a statement.

"Minority-owned and operated newspapers and radio stations play a critical role in African-American and Latino communities and help to bring minority issues to the forefront of our national dialogue," he added. "We must ensure that we have an open media market that represents all of the voices in our diverse nation and allows them to be heard."

Obama co-sponsored a bill in the Senate that would nullify the vote.

"I am disappointed that the FCC failed to meet its obligations to diverse communities and ensure that broadcasters are doing right by the communities in which they operate," he said. "Congress will not stand by and allow the FCC to move forward with these regulatory changes, and I will urge my colleagues to push forward legislation that ensures that any changes will be evaluated and modified in a transparent and inclusive process and fully take into account the interests of our women- and minority-owned outlets and communities."