Audio Video News

The era of consolidation in the broadcasting industry may be over, at least for a while, in the wake of the abandonment of the Republican Party by Senator James Jeffords.

On May 24, the Vermont senator officially became an independent, renouncing his affiliation with President George W. Bush's party, which had until that day enjoyed a majority in both the Senate (counting the tie-breaking vote that could be cast by Vice President Dick Cheney) and the House of Representatives. The moderate Jeffords had grown increasingly uncomfortable with the conservative agenda of the Republican Party, he told reporters, especially over what he perceived as short shrift given educational funding in Bush's tax-cut proposals.

He was also dismayed by what he described as "growing intolerance" in the party for opinions at odds with those of its conservative leaders. "It is only natural to expect that people like myself, who have been honored with positions of leadership, will largely support the president's agenda. And yet, more and more, I find I cannot," Jeffords explained.

With Jeffords' switch, the Democratic Party will regain control of the Senate, resulting in a cascade of changes in committee chairmanships—and likely challenges to recent Federal Communications Commission rulings favoring media conglomerates. FCC Chairman Michael Powell will meet increased resistance to his efforts to soften regulations capping media ownership, as in the April 19 decision granting Viacom, Inc. the right to own two television networks, CBS and UPN. The FCC had a long-standing policy against allowing a single company to own more than one network until Powell assumed the helm. His predecessor, William Kennard, was a big supporter of diversity in broadcasting and a booster of community radio.

One immediate effect of Jeffords' defection will be a change in the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee, now chaired by former presidential hopeful John McCain of Arizona. South Carolina Democrat Earnest "Fritz" Hollings will resume the position he held until his party lost control of the Senate in 1994. Hollings is a staunch opponent of broadcast industry consolidation and supports the current ban on ownership by a single company of both newspapers and television stations within the same community. "Hollings has been strong in his belief in limits on media ownership," said Gene Kimmelman, lobbyist for the Consumers Union. He has also opposed foreign ownership or investment in US media companies.

Hollings will also exert strong if indirect control over the FCC through his position on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, which allocates funding for the agency. Just a few days before Jeffords' announcement, Powell had requested an increase in funding for the FCC. Powell's friendliness toward media conglomerates has drawn criticism from several Democratic senators, especially Max Cleland of Georgia and Ron Wyden of Oregon. A scheduled Senate vote for new FCC commissioners was postponed due to the Jeffords announcement.