Local media execs await
new FCC guidelines
The local ramifications are not yet clear of changes to media ownership rules announced yesterday by the Federal Communications Commission.
Honolulu has two television duopolies, in which two companies each own two stations.
The first in the nation was Alabama-based Raycom Media Inc.'s KHNL and KFVE. The second involves Indiana-based Emmis Communications Corp., which owns and operates KHON and KGMB.
The latter has been more controversial, as the two stations are among the top four-rated stations in the market. At the time Emmis purchased KGMB from Lee Enterprises Inc. as part of a larger transaction, Emmis sought a waiver of rules that required it to sell one of the two stations. The new FCC rules include a waiver process that appears to apply to the Emmis duopoly.
"We're going to reserve comments until we get the guidelines from the FCC," said Rick Blangiardi, Emmis' Hawaii market senior vice president. The commission issued a 10-page news release following the vote, but Blangiardi believes the actual guidelines may take a couple weeks to arrive.
The vote is not expected to cause any changes in the Hawaii radio market, according to Austin Vali, vice president and general manager for Cox Radio Inc. "The big change is going to be newspapers," he said. Newspapers and television stations in the same market may be owned by a single company under the rule changes.
Atlanta-based Cox Radio Inc. owns four FM stations and operates a fifth under an agreement: KRTR-FM 96.3, KCCN-FM 100.3, KXME-FM 104.3, KINE-FM 105.1 and KGMZ-FM 107.9, which is owned by Florida-based Honolulu Broadcasting Inc.
Texas-based Clear Channel Communications owns and operates 7 radio stations in Honolulu: KSSK-AM/FM 590/92.3, KIKI-FM 93.9, KDNN-FM 98.5, KUCD-FM 101.9, KHVH-AM 830, KHBZ-AM 990. It is the maximum number of stations the company can own in Honolulu.