"It's the programming, stupid!"

[Kevin Vahey]

Garrett

The rules must have been in place in the early 80's as CBS had to sell WEEI
to make room for KRLD.


On Sat, May 19, 2012 at 9:56 PM, Garrett Wollman <wollman@bimajority.org>wrote:

> <<On Sat, 19 May 2012 17:12:07 -0400, Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>
> said:
>
> > But things began to shift during the top-40 era, when the FCC
> > permitted group owners to have more stations,
>
> Hold on a second there, Donna.
>
> Throughout most of "the top-40 era", the limits were 7/7/7.  In the
> 1930s, there was no limit on the number of stations one could own (all
> AM, of course).  When FM and then television were introduced, limits
> were applied (6 commercial FM licenses and 5 commercial TV licenses).
> The original Network-Monopoly Report in 1941 limited networks (but not
> other licensees) to three stations each; this seems to have been
> amended before the rules finally came into force in 1943.  At various
> times the Commission played with the TV ownership limits to try to get
> more investment into small-market (UHF) stations by the major groups.
> I'm not sure at what point the overall limits were doubled, but mwmory
> wants to say it was in the 1980s.  The duopoly rule, also introduced
> in 1941, was repealed during the Bush (G.H.W.) administration, and by
> that time the old top-40 audience had long since fragmented.
>
> -GAWollman
>
>