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CNN Saturday Morning News
Novak Zone: Interview with Michael Powell
Aired August 09, 2003 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: The decision by the FCC to change media ownership rules has drawn fire from both sides of the political coin. But FCC Chairman Michael Powell stands by the decision and his leadership on the commission.
And there is more from Michael Powell, as he joins Robert Novak in The Novak Zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone.
We're at the headquarters of the Federal Communications Commission in southwest Washington, D.C., and our guest is Michael Powell, the chairman of the FCC.
Mr. Powell, when you came in as chairman, you were the most celebrated chairman, I think, since Newton Minow, a favorite of the dominant Republicans on Capitol Hill. And now they have repudiated your commission's ruling easing restrictions on multimedia ownership by an overwhelming vote. What happened?
MICHAEL POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION: I don't think our vote has yet been repudiated. There's a lot of proposals being considered on the Hill, none of which has yet been passed in law.
But it's important to remember that Congress sets the media rules and we implement them. And we've implemented the rules that they established in 1996, and if they have had a change of heart about what those rules should be, we're happy to implement whatever they pass.
So I think that the FCC also has a large and broad agenda. Media is only one component of a complex agenda. And so I think the FCC is still well regarded on Capitol Hill.
NOVAK: Let me just quote to you Congressman Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, who said, "Never before I have seen an FCC chairman's decision repudiated by the House of Representatives so quickly and so emphatically." What -- how do you respond to that?
POWELL: Well, I think Congressman Markey was reacting to a vote that was 421 in the House. But it was not the media rules, it was the appropriations bill for the Commerce Department, the State Department, and the Federal Communications Commission. And I think it's a bit of an overstatement to suggest that that vote reflects the specifics of the appropriation rider that's in there, about one of what were six rules that we have considered.
We did a comprehensive 20-month review of all broadcast rules. That includes six or eight rules, and Congress has focused almost exclusively on one rule. So I'm not so sure I agree with that characterization.
NOVAK: Mr. Chairman, explain to me, however, quite apart from any personal questions of, I think you're still very well regarded on the Hill, but there is a tremendous amount of conservative as well as liberal opposition to easing these rules. The conservative columnist William Safire of "The New York Times" has made a project of it. Why is that? Why is there so much concern across the political spectrum?
POWELL: Well, I think you've hit on something very important, which is, I think, consumers should be very thoughtful about as well. I think in some ways, while we have an enormous amount of angst being directed at the media, you'll have a difficult time trying to find what the coherent, consistent consensus is about what is exactly wrong.
In some ways, you'll have conservatives, groups like the National Rifle Association, who've been opposed, who say that this is all about gun-hating media liberal organizations, to quote their own fund- raising literature.
On the other hand, I've heard many liberal thinkers and politicians scream about the rise of the conservative Fox network and the rise of conservative radio. Those two things can't both be right.
And I think in some ways you can have a coalition of people with vague and abstract anxieties about the media, but their viewpoints are very distinct. And one of the reasons why I think it is very careful to have a balanced approach to what the rules are is that in the name, so that you don't have in the name in viewpoint diversity, really the punitive punishment of views you'd rather not see expressed.
NOVAK: What about the complaint (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in a small town you'll have three, four radio stations all owned by the same company?
POWELL: It can be a concern, but we have very strong radio rules and very strong local rules. I think that the difficulty of this complex issue is, as I mentioned earlier, multitude of rules, and they interact with each other. One of the reasons we did them in a comprehensive way is to make sure that they were comprehensive and coherent.
We don't think that anyone should own all the radio properties in a given town. That's one of the reasons we tightened the radio rule in the proceeding that we just completed.
So it's a balance. You have to make sure there's enough flexibility, enough economic viability in free over-the-air mediums so that they can continue to prosper and compete, against which is a really raging rise of cable and pay platforms. If we want pay media, free medium, radio and television, we're going to have to continue to make sure they're strong and economically viable, as the Internet, as cable, as satellite, as satellite radio begin to become very important and dominant sources of information in society.
NOVAK: Mr. Chairman, there's a lot of worry about these big, giant corporations. I (UNINTELLIGIBLE) communications corporations. I've been working for them all my life, and I've been with CNN from the start in 1980. Nobody's ever told me on any media what to think or what to write. Do you have examples of these big media corporations trying to influence the content politically of the people of the air?
POWELL: It's very interesting, I have heard people throw around anecdotes of such. But when we did our 20-month review in our record, we didn't see that there was sort of a persistent, consistent abuse of ownership in that way.
It's really important to remember that big companies are corporate companies, and they're self-interested, and they have duties to their shareholders, which is to make money. And you make money by providing compelling and popular programming. And if a show is not compelling and popular, it will be off the air in a day or two.
I think that it's an intuitive thing to fear the notion that Citizen Kane owns the media and is going to exercise a form of mind control through the product. But what you try to do is make sure that there's enough competing voices for that not to happen. And I think we have that.
NOVAK: Now the big question for FCC Chairman Michael Powell.
Mr. Chairman, there have been a lot of rumors, a lot of reports that you're thinking about, you're about to, you're considering resigning as chairman. True or false?
POWELL: I've thought about this a lot, and I've made a firm decision that for now I'm staying. I have a lot more that I'd like to do. It's a great agency, it's an amazing time in technology for the country. So I'm going to be here for a little while.
NOVAK: Are you going to be -- What's a little while, can I ask?
POWELL: Well, that I don't know yet. But certainly we're going to at least be here at least for many, many, many more months to come.
NOVAK: Chairman Michael Powell, thank you very much.
And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 9, 2003 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: The decision by the FCC to change media ownership rules has drawn fire from both sides of the political coin. But FCC Chairman Michael Powell stands by the decision and his leadership on the commission.
And there is more from Michael Powell, as he joins Robert Novak in The Novak Zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone.
We're at the headquarters of the Federal Communications Commission in southwest Washington, D.C., and our guest is Michael Powell, the chairman of the FCC.
Mr. Powell, when you came in as chairman, you were the most celebrated chairman, I think, since Newton Minow, a favorite of the dominant Republicans on Capitol Hill. And now they have repudiated your commission's ruling easing restrictions on multimedia ownership by an overwhelming vote. What happened?
MICHAEL POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION: I don't think our vote has yet been repudiated. There's a lot of proposals being considered on the Hill, none of which has yet been passed in law.
But it's important to remember that Congress sets the media rules and we implement them. And we've implemented the rules that they established in 1996, and if they have had a change of heart about what those rules should be, we're happy to implement whatever they pass.
So I think that the FCC also has a large and broad agenda. Media is only one component of a complex agenda. And so I think the FCC is still well regarded on Capitol Hill.
NOVAK: Let me just quote to you Congressman Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, who said, "Never before I have seen an FCC chairman's decision repudiated by the House of Representatives so quickly and so emphatically." What -- how do you respond to that?
POWELL: Well, I think Congressman Markey was reacting to a vote that was 421 in the House. But it was not the media rules, it was the appropriations bill for the Commerce Department, the State Department, and the Federal Communications Commission. And I think it's a bit of an overstatement to suggest that that vote reflects the specifics of the appropriation rider that's in there, about one of what were six rules that we have considered.
We did a comprehensive 20-month review of all broadcast rules. That includes six or eight rules, and Congress has focused almost exclusively on one rule. So I'm not so sure I agree with that characterization.
NOVAK: Mr. Chairman, explain to me, however, quite apart from any personal questions of, I think you're still very well regarded on the Hill, but there is a tremendous amount of conservative as well as liberal opposition to easing these rules. The conservative columnist William Safire of "The New York Times" has made a project of it. Why is that? Why is there so much concern across the political spectrum?
POWELL: Well, I think you've hit on something very important, which is, I think, consumers should be very thoughtful about as well. I think in some ways, while we have an enormous amount of angst being directed at the media, you'll have a difficult time trying to find what the coherent, consistent consensus is about what is exactly wrong.
In some ways, you'll have conservatives, groups like the National Rifle Association, who've been opposed, who say that this is all about gun-hating media liberal organizations, to quote their own fund- raising literature.
On the other hand, I've heard many liberal thinkers and politicians scream about the rise of the conservative Fox network and the rise of conservative radio. Those two things can't both be right.
And I think in some ways you can have a coalition of people with vague and abstract anxieties about the media, but their viewpoints are very distinct. And one of the reasons why I think it is very careful to have a balanced approach to what the rules are is that in the name, so that you don't have in the name in viewpoint diversity, really the punitive punishment of views you'd rather not see expressed.
NOVAK: What about the complaint (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in a small town you'll have three, four radio stations all owned by the same company?
POWELL: It can be a concern, but we have very strong radio rules and very strong local rules. I think that the difficulty of this complex issue is, as I mentioned earlier, multitude of rules, and they interact with each other. One of the reasons we did them in a comprehensive way is to make sure that they were comprehensive and coherent.
We don't think that anyone should own all the radio properties in a given town. That's one of the reasons we tightened the radio rule in the proceeding that we just completed.
So it's a balance. You have to make sure there's enough flexibility, enough economic viability in free over-the-air mediums so that they can continue to prosper and compete, against which is a really raging rise of cable and pay platforms. If we want pay media, free medium, radio and television, we're going to have to continue to make sure they're strong and economically viable, as the Internet, as cable, as satellite, as satellite radio begin to become very important and dominant sources of information in society.
NOVAK: Mr. Chairman, there's a lot of worry about these big, giant corporations. I (UNINTELLIGIBLE) communications corporations. I've been working for them all my life, and I've been with CNN from the start in 1980. Nobody's ever told me on any media what to think or what to write. Do you have examples of these big media corporations trying to influence the content politically of the people of the air?
POWELL: It's very interesting, I have heard people throw around anecdotes of such. But when we did our 20-month review in our record, we didn't see that there was sort of a persistent, consistent abuse of ownership in that way.
It's really important to remember that big companies are corporate companies, and they're self-interested, and they have duties to their shareholders, which is to make money. And you make money by providing compelling and popular programming. And if a show is not compelling and popular, it will be off the air in a day or two.
I think that it's an intuitive thing to fear the notion that Citizen Kane owns the media and is going to exercise a form of mind control through the product. But what you try to do is make sure that there's enough competing voices for that not to happen. And I think we have that.
NOVAK: Now the big question for FCC Chairman Michael Powell.
Mr. Chairman, there have been a lot of rumors, a lot of reports that you're thinking about, you're about to, you're considering resigning as chairman. True or false?
POWELL: I've thought about this a lot, and I've made a firm decision that for now I'm staying. I have a lot more that I'd like to do. It's a great agency, it's an amazing time in technology for the country. So I'm going to be here for a little while.
NOVAK: Are you going to be -- What's a little while, can I ask?
POWELL: Well, that I don't know yet. But certainly we're going to at least be here at least for many, many, many more months to come.
NOVAK: Chairman Michael Powell, thank you very much.
And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
