Letter to The Honorable Kevin J. Martin

July 27, 2006

The Honorable Kevin J. Martin
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20554

Dear Chairman Martin:

As members of Congress who support diversity, localism, and independence in broadcasting, we are troubled by efforts of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) to fundamentally alter the structure of newsrooms under its jurisdiction. CBS and the Writers Guild of America, East and west are engaged in contract negotiations to extend their 50-year-old working relationship in New York, Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it appears that CBS seeks the authority to remove news producers from bargaining units, terminate workers in the event of mergers, and even merge the newsrooms of competing stations. If such actions proceed unchallenged, audiences will be denied the variety in news sources and local coverage necessary for an informed participatory democratic society.

The Writers Guild of America-CBS contract protects workers, as well as audiences. This contract ensures that news producers- those who must apply journalistic standards and make decisions as to which stories are broadcast -remain insulated from corporate influence and maintain independent judgment. Removing these gatekeepers of information from the Guild jeopardizes journalistic integrity, making them more vulnerable to CBS's commercial demands. Without such safeguards, how can the public trust the information they receive?

Terminating reporters and consolidating news desks will also have a profound impact on news audiences. Fewer reporters working for fewer outlets leads to homogeneity instead of the rich diversity broadcasters have an obligation to provide. When competing stations are no longer competitive-when they share reporters and news writers, and offer identical content-the public interest suffers.

It is the job of the Federal Communications Commission to prevent commercial values from undermining democratic values and ensure that broadcasters serve the public interest. Attempts to maximize profits at the expense of diversity in news reporting threaten democratic values and have drastic consequences for our nation.

News broadcasters enjoy special protections afforded no other business, but they cannot claim press freedoms while at the same time curtailing alternative points of view. We ask the FCC to conduct a review of this situation and its impact on public discourse. We look forward to your report.

Sincerely,

Maurice Hinchey, Diane Watson, Jan Schakowsky

http://www.house.gov/list/press/ny22_hinchey/morenews/080706fcccbsletter.html