MEDIA COMPANIES Demonstrators chant against deregulation

Clear Channel, which owns 1,200 radio stations, is the target of protests.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Small groups of demonstrators around the country marched and chanted to urge federal regulators not to give large media companies more control over the nation's newspapers, television and radio stations.
Thursday's demonstrations were staged just four days before the Federal Communications Commission was to consider eliminating many restrictions on media ownership in the same city.
Another proposal would raise an existing market cap that prevents any one company from owning a combination of TV stations that reach more than 35 percent of U.S. households.
In Los Angeles, about 60 people marched outside Clear Channel talk radio station KFI with signs reading, "No Choice, No Voice: Reclaim Our Airwaves."
In Pittsburgh
About a dozen people protested outside the Clear Channel building in Pittsburgh. Protesters carried a woman's pink slip scrawled with the words, "You are canceled for assault on free speech."
A Clear Channel spokesman said media coverage of the protests is evidence that diverse viewpoints are not ignored.
"Americans today have more diverse choices for entertainment, news and information than ever before," said Andrew Levin, Clear Channel's senior vice president for government affairs.
San Antonio-based Clear Channel has become a favorite target for those who oppose deregulation. The company owns 1,200 stations nationwide, including nine in Los Angeles.