Court tosses out relaxed media ownership rules

Friday, July 1, 2011, Vol. 35, No. 26

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court in Philadelphia has tossed out government rules allowing media companies to own a newspaper and a broadcast television station in the same market.

Thursday's decision by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sends the rules back to the Federal Communications Commission to be rewritten. The court says the FCC didn't give the public adequate opportunity to comment on the rules. The rules were adopted in 2007 under then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, who served under the Bush administration.

A longstanding cross-ownership ban prohibits a single company from owning both a newspaper and a TV station in the same market. Martin lifted the ban in the 20 largest media markets.