(Sen. Larry Pressler - R-South Dakota - searching for the favorite world)

It's been fascinating research, digging around to see just when things started going haywire with our media. Sure, it goes back to the late 1960's, but once the ball got rolling, it was only a matter of time before the FCC would become almost completely gutted of any power to regulate anything. Worse than a hollow shell. An abandoned ventriloquists dummy. This news clip, from a CBS World News Roundup broadcast illustrates what happened. BTW - it starts with a Newt Gingrich piece on his view of Civil Rights - as always a well placed shoe in a well heeled mouth lasts forever.

And so in 1995 (June 16th as a matter of fact), the Senate passed sweeping legislation further de-regulating whatever power the FCC might have to limit station ownership, cable rates and cable involvement in telephone communications. It would become the basis for the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This leg of the bill was passed (via a Republican controlled Senate) with a large enough majority to insure no possibility of a Presidential veto, which Clinton wasn't thrilled over.
As the Bill's architect South Dakota Senator Larry Pressler said:

Sen. Larry Pressler (R-South Dakota): “I think the country is more ready for de-regulation and competition. And, so, in my favorite world it might be more de-regulatory, but legislation is the art of the possible.”

The idea that one company in one city can own several radio stations, TV stations, a cable operation and maybe a newspaper or two strikes me as anything but stimulating competition. Or maybe that's a piece of logic I've missed.

Legislation may be the art of the possible, but subterfuge is the art of the scam.