Sen. Rockefeller rips media industry at hearing on recent distribution fights

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) blasted the media industry at a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Although the topic of the hearing being held by the Senate Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet's topic is supposed to be the recent rash of fights between broadcasters and cable operators over distribution agreements that have in many cases left consumers in the lurch, Rockefeller took aim at cable news and the entertainment industry.

Rockefeller is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the subcommittee. In remarks at the hearing, Rockefeller said that instead of a watchdog media, "we have endless barking of a 24-hour news cycle ... journalism that is always ravenous for the next rumor but insufficiently hungry for the facts that can nourish something called our democracy."

The senator also took aim at Fox News Channel and MSNBC and suggested he wouldn't mind if the Federal Communications Commission could make them both go away. "I hunger for quality news, I'm tired of the right and left," he said. Of course, as both Fox and MSNBC are cable channels, the FCC has little regulatory power over their content.

Rockefeller eventually got around to focusing on the issue at hand -- how cable and broadcasters negotiate deals to carry entertainment programming. He said he wants to know why consumers "have to pay for so many channels," when most people only watch a handful of networks. "We need slimmed-down channel packages," he said.

"If you fail to fix this situation, we're going to fix it for you," Rockefeller warned. If that happens, he added, the goal will be to do more than "referee your corporate money feuds."

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Sen. Jay Rockefeller. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

Comments

[Ga231]

What a crybaby. I quess it sucks when your so rich and you can't have your way

[ONLY TWO MORE YEARS 'TIL WE GET RID OF THE MARXIST IN THE WHITE HOUSE]

I don't know why you bother to have a comments section since you don't post any comments that are contrary to your philosophy...who says "Communism is dead!"...it certainly isn't at the LAT.

[NDWCHAPS]

Facist, communist, anti-American - and this guy holds a seat in the Senate.

[Cabby]

Dear Rockefeller.

We need new catalysts for quality POLITICIANS. I hunger for quality politicians. I'm TIRED of politicians blaming everything they do on the press. There's a litte bug inside me that wants to see you leave congress...Out, gone, goodbye. If you were to leave, it would do the taxpayer a big favor, and would improve political discourse.

We don't need "slimmed down" channel packages (just because it overwhelms you, it doesn't mean we are overwhelmed). What we need is a SLIMMED DOWN gov't. Less politicians, more channels.

And we need a way to find a better value in gov't, because people are TIRED of always escalating gov't.

Rockefeller...you and Kerry don't have a clue.

[ONLY TWO MORE YEARS 'TIL WE GET RID OF THE MARXIST IN THE WHITE HOUSE]

Another dumb remark by a dumb Liberal Lewzer...

First, FNC & MSNBC aren't on the "airwaves", genius...

Second, I wonder if Rocksforbrains ever heard of First Amendment...or maybe "Freedom of Speech"... money is wasted on fools...

And as was noted, the FCC has no control over cable television...if brains were dynamite, Liberals couldn't blow their noses!

TERM LIMITS is the only answer for these incompetent clowns.

[Will]

This is a senator that has been in office way too long. He must have forgotten about the oath he took to uphold the constitution including the first amendment rights of free speech. Rockefeller prefers for everyone to be quiet, stay out of the way, and let the two parties make their private deals in a peaceful and unchallenged environment without citizen scrutiny or interference. If you agree it is time for TERM LIMITS and no more career politicians, get this guy out of office.

[Joel M]

THANKS FOR THE FREE PRESS MR ROCKEFELLER! Your Grandpa played a huge part in this helping to take us on to a fiat currency with JP Morgan - and you only got us on the fiat system by manipulating the media.

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs. - Thomas Jefferson

[Joe]

The fact that a member of congress would support shutting down media outlets is a clear sign that he should no longer be in elected office. It does not matter if he likes what is shown on any TV station or radio station, by asking to have them shutdown because you do not like what they have to say is picking and choosing who the first amendment should apply to in this country. This man should be forced to step down from office for these ignorant and bigoted views.

[Suzanne Watt]

Well, finally someone of substance expressed what many citizens know...news broadcasts have turned into "who can be the funniest, the most outrageous, etc.etc." There are too few with programs like Charlie Rose's where one can actually hear the core of controversies and a few facts! I'm a news junkie, read newspapers as well as TV. It's appalling how little actual news is found on TV..and always as a sound bite...no depth...unless you count some of the Sunday programs.

[Elaine Laing]

I totally agree with Mr. Rockefeller.

[Larry]

This is a great country people have a remote they watch what they want to watch they listen to the radio if they want they can listen to Limbaugh or NPR and if you don't like Fox watch CBS ABC NBC CNN or NPR isn't it great?

[Donny Hartman]

Wow! And the democrats don't have socialism in mind? I think not!