Last evening's Bill Moyers Journal brought official word of the attempt by the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission to allow a significant expansion of the reach and power of the already powerful corporate media in the United States. This outrageous power grab is being promoted at a time of high profits for newspapers (an average of 17% per year according to Bill Moyers).

Now Chairman Martin and his Republican cohorts are trying to push through on short notice the same sweetheart deal for big media which the public rejected in overwhelming numbers under the previous chairman, Michael Powell, in 2003. The proposed relaxation of rules would allow one company to own both a major newspaper and a major TV station in the same market. More details can be found at the link below.

Because Chairman Martin intends to railroad these rule changes through next month, Moyers is telling us we need to make our voices heard by December 11. Please do contact the FCC and your members of Congress as soon as possible. It is critical the policy-makers hear from us right away. A handy contact form is provided through the web site I have referenced below.

It is clear to me ownership rules need to be strengthened, not relaxed. These rule changes are a clear pay-back by the Bush administration to their corporate supporters in the huge media conglomerates. There are several links on the Moyers web page which I will be examining. One includes incidents of media companies providing favors to FCC members. If this information is true, we have corruption on a high order.

After you do contact the government officials, I would be glad to hear about it. (You may use the "Comment" button here.)

This is a time to stand together -- and -- take action.