The debate over the deregulation of broadcast ownership rules intensified this week as SAG-AFTRA, the labor union representing media professionals, filed comments urging the FCC to maintain current caps. In a detailed submission to the commission’s ongoing ownership review, the union argued that further consolidation would have a devastating impact on the employment landscape of local radio. The filing stands in direct opposition to the National Association of Broadcasters, which has pushed for a complete elimination of ownership limits to allow stations to compete with digital giants.
SAG-AFTRA’s primary argument centers on the protection of local jobs, particularly in newsrooms. The union contends that the “economies of scale” touted by proponents of deregulation are often a euphemism for aggressive cost-cutting measures that eliminate redundant positions. The filing warns that if large conglomerates are permitted to acquire more stations in a single market, they will inevitably centralize operations, replacing local staff with syndicated content or regional hubs. The union points to historical data from previous waves of consolidation, noting that promises of strengthened local service were rarely met, while thousands of jobs were shed.
The submission highlights alarming statistics regarding the current state of radio journalism. Citing industry surveys, SAG-AFTRA noted that the median radio news operation in the United States now employs only one full-time news staffer. The union argues that relaxing ownership rules would accelerate this trend, potentially leaving many communities with no locally based reporters at all. They assert that a diversity of ownership is essential not just for economic competition, but for maintaining a diversity of voices and viewpoints on the airwaves.
The union also challenged the narrative that deregulation is necessary to save struggling stations. Instead of allowing larger entities to swallow up smaller competitors, SAG-AFTRA suggests that the commission should focus on policies that encourage independent ownership and local investment. They warned that allowing a handful of companies to dominate the airwaves would result in a homogenized media landscape where decisions about local programming are made in corporate boardrooms hundreds of miles away, rather than by professionals living in the communities they serve.