The FCC hearings today on Media Consolidation are at USC, and the press releasesays:

A broad-based coalition of local and national groups is urging the public to turn out for the Federal Communications Commission's first hearing on sweeping changes to the nation's ownership rules.

They're offering up interviews with a bunch of well-known folks, including

Marty Kaplan, USC Annenberg School for Communication,
Kaplan didn't seem too worried about Big Media when he was taking Disney's dime. And he's soft on CBS.

Len Hill, Leonard Hill Films
Hill's chief complaint seems to be that his schlocky MOWs aren't in fashion anymore.

Hannah Sassaman Prometheus Radio Project
She's for localized low-power FM radio stations, and claims that churches and schools can benefit. But she doesn't say anything about Daystar trying to buy KOCE.

There's something almost quaint about hordes storming the barricades to demand local ownership for newspapers, TV and radio in a world of bloggers, pod-casts and YouTube. Still, the website has a handy scorecard. But there's also a list of what's evil about Big Media:

The needs of people of color, the working class, and rural citizens are squelched or ignored because these people aren't advertisers' target audience.

If the working class isn't the target audience of Spike TV, FBLA would be mightly surprised. And CPB isn't very interested in those populations either, what with Annie Leibovitz being an American Master. Columbia's Nicholas Lemann doesn't seem too eager to send his graduates out into the rural heartland. So let's just drop that stuff.

But the other talking points--stifled viewpoints, lack of service to local communities--make sense. If you read our "hometown" paper, you get it.

FBLA urges the concerned to attend the hearings. El Segundo High is the site for the evening session, if you're a working stiff.

Earlier:
Silly Hippie, Media's For Corps.