Maine airs its views on media changes

PORTLAND, Maine — Federal Communications Commission (FCC) members on Thursday listened to Maine residents' views on how broadcasters are fulfilling their public-service responsibilities at a time when most local media have come under out-of-state ownership.

It was the fifth of six public hearings on FCC proposals that would affect media ownership, including one that would loosen long-standing restrictions on how many local media outlets a single company can own. Several hundred people attended, and 150 of them signed up to make two-minute statements.

Many were television and radio employees who trumpeted their community service despite a lack of local ownership. Others were members of organizations that campaign for stricter regulation of media ownership and public access to the airwaves.

Four of the five commissioners attended the hearing. The fifth, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, was in Washington, where his newborn baby is hospitalized.

Media ownership in southern Maine has changed dramatically. Since 1998, all three network affiliate television stations and the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram were bought by out-of-state companies.

Chellie Pingree, president of Common Cause, a nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen's lobbying group, lamented a decline in local news coverage by radio stations as many came under national ownership. Most local stations now air no local public-affairs broadcasting, and those that do offer a minimal amount, she said.

But Suzanne Goucher, president of the Maine Association of Broadcasters, defended the commitment of the state's radio and TV stations to serve communities. In a statement, she said broadcasters' recognition of their responsibilities was displayed by extensive coverage of recent storms.

Thursday's hearing had its roots in a 2003 effort led by former FCC Commissioner Michael Powell to deregulate media ownership further. The goal included allowing companies to own more stations — including multiple stations in the same market — and allowing cross-ownership of television and newspapers, now barred in most circumstances.

Congress and the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the proposals.

Commissioners now say they are starting the process again and, while relaxing ownership rules is still on the table, so is the introduction of broadcasting standards that spell out the kind of public service they are expected to provide.

Seattle Times Publisher Frank Blethen has been an outspoken supporter of limits on media ownership. The Seattle Times Co. owns the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram and several smaller newspapers in Maine.

Portland Press Herald/Telegram reporter Gregory D. Kesich contributed to this report.