Little guys get a chance

Philadelphia Inquirer: Forget David vs. Goliath allusions. Instead, let's view the Philadelphia federal court injunction just won to halt mega-media mergers as the ghost of reggae icon Bob Marley stomping the NBC peacock.
The legal challenge came from the Philadelphia-based Prometheus Radio Project, a group that promotes low-power grass-roots radio stations.
Sure, Prometheus had help from national media watchdog groups. But how appropriate that the juggernaut of media consolidation has been sidetracked -- if not yet scuttled -- in part, by folks promoting pirate-style stations that are hardly heard.
On this issue, it's been impossible to get the attention of the Republican majority on the Federal Communications Commission. Chaired by Michael K. Powell, the FCC in June rammed through misguided rules sure to trigger more mergers of television and radio stations and newspapers.
Powell and company ignored a huge public outcry -- in the form of thousands of written comments from all over the political spectrum opposing the media-ownership changes. They invited charges of arrogance by holding just one public hearing. And with the equally firm backing by the Bush administration, they've fought off criticism even from within the GOP-controlled Congress.
Well, now they should listen. And if the FCC doesn't relent, it's up to Congress to step in.
Public's interest
A three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rightly halted the rules Wednesday, just as they were set to take effect. The court declared that, "given the magnitude of this matter and the public's interest in reaching the proper resolution, a stay is warranted."
In other words, the court has called for the sort of scrutiny of the policy that the FCC itself failed to provide.
Most troubling, the regulations would expand by nearly a third the national audience reach of any one television broadcaster. The FCC also would drop the ban in most areas on joint ownership of a TV station and a broadcast outlet or newspaper.