Local Media Consolidation

Yesterday the Metro reported that the Flordia based owner of WLVI (Boston's WB... which will be switching in the coming weeks to CW programming) has sold the local affiliate to the Chicago based owner of WCVB (Boston's ABC affiliate). This comes only days after a report that Michael Powell, former FCC chair apparently ordered to be destroyed was leaked to a Democratic Congresswoman who has challenged the current FCC chair.

The report was commissioned two years ago by Powell (Yes, Colin's son), to prove that local ownership does not affect news content and the focus on localism. The intent of the report was to fuel further de-regulation to allow for companies to own even more outlets in each region than they currently are under the Clinton administration's 1996 de-regulation act. When the report proved, instead, to show empirically that local owners do in fact show nearly 33 hours more per year of local interest stories, Powell ordered all evidence of the report destroyed.

As for Boston's CW network, WLVI, the owners of WCVB say that they plan to replace the current evening news with a news program aimed at younger viewers. It will still air at 10pm, followed on WCVB by the regular 11pm news, which is obviously not for young people (what?). With our mainstream media's idea of what targeting a young demographic is, I cringe to think about what this news program will look like. Yo! MTV raps graphics? Reporters in Sean John and Enyce? Maybe live Saturday night entertainment reports from The Rack at Faneiul Hall.

In any case, their other programming will remain basically untouched, with the new CW network keeping most of the WB programs, with four exceptions: Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model (airing at 8pm on Thursdays against Must See TV on NBC), Veronica Mars (paired on Tuesdays with Gilmore Girls), Everybody Hates Chris (moved to the ridiculous time slot of 7:30pm on Sundays), and Girlfriends (right after Everybody Hates Chris on Sundays). The rest of the slots that are not WB shows will be new shows. It still remains to be seen whether or not any of these will feature diverse casts or any young people of color at all. With One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls, Supernatural, and a miraculously revived 7th Heaven dominating the top time slots, I hope that the new CW network at least makes a feeble attempt at keeping the identity of the UPN's demographics in mind as they make the switch. Look out this fall for Real Women Have Curves star America Ferara in her first TV show on ABC called Ugly Betty.

On a personal note, I am very sad that ABC has decided to put Grey's Anatomy on the same time as My Name is Earl and the Office. What is a girl supposed to do without Tevo?