The FCC is urged to give fast approval to Tribune’s $8.2 billion ...
The FCC is urged to give fast approval to Tribune’s $8.2 billion sale in two company filings at the agency. Samuel Zell, buying the company along with its employees, met Tuesday with Chairman Kevin Martin and Chief of Staff…
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Daniel Gonzalez, seeking approval of the deal before a Dec. 18 FCC meeting. Martin wants commissioners to vote then to lift cross-ownership rules in many circumstances for the largest 20 markets, a move that would help pave the way for Tribune’s sale (CD Nov 14 p7). Privatization of the broadcaster and newspaper publisher “would be jeopardized if the pending Tribune applications were not acted upon until that meeting,” said an ex parte filing. Tribune should get temporary cross-ownership waivers, Zell said. Another Tribune filing asked the FCC to deny a request by public-interest and religious groups that the agency pause its review of the transaction given the company’s alleged ex parte violations. The United Church of Christ and the Media Alliance had said ex partes of two meetings between a Tribune executive and FCC officials weren’t filed in a commission docket until weeks later (CD Nov 13 p14). Tribune said the documents were filed right away -- they just didn’t list the docket number, 07-119, which the FCC didn’t require, it said. “No one honestly may represent that the applicants hid the two presentations from public view.”