Appeals Court Unlocks FCC Ban on Media Co. Cross-Ownership

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit this week undid a stay it issued in 2003 concerning the FCC ban on cross-ownership by media companies.

Under the ban, media companies could not own television stations and newspapers in the same media market. When the FCC limits were enacted in 1974, several media companies that already owned newspapers and tv outlets in the same market were "grandfathered" in.

By statute, the FCC must review media ownership rules every four years. Besides the cross-ownership ban, the agency will also re-examine limits imposed on media companies concerning  how many radio and tv stations a company may own in a particular market.