Shit, piss, fuck...

The man to whom the FCC owes it's eternal gratitude has died. George Carlin dead at 71.

Just another Bush know-it-all

They are in legion in this Bush administration, appointees who will do exactly what they aim to do no matter how much thousands might protest.

Kevin Martin is the latest, but not the first. When it comes to protecting corporate interests, there is no higher priority in this administration.

FCC Majority Uses Legal Subterfuge to Push for Total Elimination of Cross-Ownership Ban

The FCC consists of five members. Two are Democrats. Three Republicans. The commission voted along party lines to allow The Tribune Company to bypass, at least temporarily, the injunctions against cross-ownership, to sell the newspaper to real estate titan Sam Zell.

Minority dissenter Democrat Michael Copps suggested the headline used in this blog as an explanation of what happened.

Hartford, always the bridesmaid

Somewhere it's written that if you need an easy mark, Hartford is it.

Robert Kraft dangled the Patriots as if it were a real offer, and not a bargaining chit for Massachussetts.

Richard Cohen, a big developer, promised a beautiful development on Front Street. And even though the West Hartford Blue Black Square fight has come and gone, and we've had a grand opening, Front Street is empty.

And now FCC head Kevin Martin wants to relax regulations about joint ownership of media in major cities (which would affect Tribune Company holdings), but Hartford is left off of the list. In Hartford, The Tribune would have to divest itself of ownership if a takeover by real estate magnate Sam Zell occurs.

Hartford is obviously not seen as important enough in the Zell deal to compel Martin to twist the regulations in favor of the Trib.

What's that say about Hartford, much less about the Courant, the Advocate, WTXX-TV and WTIC-TV?

Does this mean an end to the Tribune stranglehold on Hartford media? Or does it mean that no one cares?

Who will own the news?

We're quickly becoming franchise nation. Whether it's Subway, Target, Starbucks or Olive Garden, our once interesting, diverse and sometimes quirky human and commercial landscape is fast becoming homogenized.

It's happened with the media too. Here in Connecticut, long-time readers will tell you about their devotion to hometown papers in New Britain, Bristol and New Haven, until, they were devoured by a media conglomerate, stripped of their assets, and left to become shadows of their former selves. Yes, newspapers are in trouble, but corporate ownership and decimation of newsrooms is not the answer.

And now the FCC is proposing after long deliberation, to give the conglomerates another break, allowing them to own newspapers, radio stations and TV stations in the same cities. Local TV and radio are bad enough without having to worry about the board of directors in Dubuque.

I'm totally against this new ruling, though I worry a little less now that the internet has allowed interested citizens to find news in places other than the usual places. However, speaking from the viewpoint of a citizen activist in Middletown, I can attest that boards and councils are more likely to do what they please, out of public view, if there is not a vigorous press guarding against improprieties.

I think the answer lies in the rise of citizen websites which take the place of local newspapers. Still, it's important to protest the potential ruling to the FCC and your elected representatives.

I have mixed effin feelings about this one

George Carlin must be grinning, while Brent Bozell must be sick. The courts say the FCC don't have jurisdiction over dirty words.

But did the victory have to go to Rupert Murdoch and Fox. Sh**.

I say the best parental censor is the off button.