Dereg-a-palooza?
Just when you thought media deregulation was a speeding train that couldn't be stopped, the tide seems to be turning -- at least for now.
The latest punch to the FCC's groin came yesterday, when a Philadelphia appeals court issued a stay blocking the FCC's recent bid to relax media ownership rules. That means, for one thing, station groups won't be able to expand their size as soon as they thought.
It's hard to tell whether this sudden deregulation backlash is temporary, or if the FCC and media congloms have finally touched a nerve. If anything, biggies like Viacom and News Corp. should be sending nasty glances toward Clear Channel's way. Clear Channel's rush to consume a lion's share of the nation's radio stations made a mockery out of radio deregulation, scaring plenty of people into wanting to prevent any more dereg.
As a result, relaxing the rules is not going to be as easy as the media congloms thought.
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