FCC commissioners used opening remarks at a broadcast localism he...

process, noting stations once reapplied every three years, compared with eight years now. Copps convened the hearing in the absence of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, who stayed in Washington to be with his one-week old son, William, who remains in an intensive care unit. The newborn’s condition is improving, said Copps, adding that he will brief Kevin Martin on the hearing once both are back on the 8th floor. “Although we don’t always agree on all of the issues, he reads the record,” Democrat Copps said of Martin, a Republican. “We don’t usually get a gavel to wield. It feels pretty nice now,” Copps said. Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein lashed out at broadcasters for airing news of Paris Hilton’s time in jail instead of focusing on more substantive events. “The problem is in recent years breaking news has been replaced with breaking gossip,” said Adelstein. Commissioner Deborah Tate asked broadcasters in the audience to cut the number of junk food ads targeting kids, saying ensuring high-quality children’s programs are aired is a top priority. She said she hopes executives will “not only meet your legal obligations regarding children’s core programming, but more importantly you will provide more balance” for healthy foods “to help all of us solve what has become a national epidemic.” Commissioner Robert McDowell asked the audience to opine on whether online news competes with broadcast programming.