The United Church of Christ further urged the FCC to delay...

The United Church of Christ further urged the FCC to delay actions that loosen media cross-ownership restrictions until it conducts studies examining their impact on ownership diversity. UCC reiterated its concerns in an ex parte filing in dockets 09-182 and 07-294 (http://xrl.us/boffqc). The filing recounted a meeting between UCC and Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake and staff from the bureau. UCC said that repealing or relaxing the cross-ownership rules would have a detrimental impact “on the already low levels of radio station ownership by minorities and women.” It also expressed interest in the possibility of making the waiver process for newspaper/television cross-ownership restrictions more predictable and uniform, it said: It’s essential “that any modified waiver process grant the public adequate notice to exercise the right to comment on proposed waivers.” UCC also met with David Grimaldi, chief of staff for Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. UCC put its support behind the FCC’s “long-held common sense position that ownership diversity affects viewpoint diversity,” it said in another ex parte filing in the same dockets (http://xrl.us/boffsk).