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Supreme Court Rules on Media Ownership

SusanLesch

The U.S. Supreme Court today let stand rules that place limits on ownership of broadcast outlets and newspapers in local markets. 

The high court ruling means that one company is forbidden from owning both a major newspaper and a t.v. station in the same market. Tim McGuire, chair of the journalism department at Arizona State University says he is surprised by the decision.

McGuire says the most obvious example of dual ownership in Arizona is Gannett Corporation which owns the Arizona Republic and Channel 12.

"I just don’t think they have monopoly power in Phoenix anymore that they once did," McGuire said.  " The court is rejecting that argument and is obviously still concerned about that sort of media power."

McGuire says its unclear to him if Gannett will be forced to divest itself of either the Republic or Channel 12.

"As I read the decision, I’d says its problematic for them. But they’ve been doing it for years," he said. "They have moved ahead. I don’t know how they’re doing that."

McGuire says that in his view, the proliferation of the Internet and other outlets for information has allayed any concerns about media monopolies.

Representatives of Gannett Corporation are unavailable for comment. 

Jack of many trades; Master of none. Terry Ward has worked in public radio for almost 30 years. During that time he has performed most of the essential jobs in a public radio newsroom including host of Morning Edition and All Things Considered, talk show host, producer of both short and long-form news and features and general assignment reporter. Most of Terry's career was with the Phoenix NPR-affiliate, KJZZ, where he started in 1985 hosting a jazz music show. In 2000, he was chosen to participate in a journalist exchange program that sent Terry to Western Europe where he reported on various aspects of German re-unification and French-German cultural exchange programs. But Arizona has been his home for almost 45 years and like many people in this state, he had always wanted to live in Flagstaff and was thrilled to move north and work for KNAU as the local host of All Things Considered.