Dean hits big media

Dem frontrunner raises voice in dereg fray

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential frontrunner Howard Dean has taken to bashing big media in recent days, tapping into a national movement against media concentration fueled by the Federal Communications Commission's decision to relax restrictions on media ownership earlier this year.

The former Vermont governor is not afraid to bite the hand that feeds him. His No. 1 campaign contributor is Time Warner, whose employees have cut Dean $65,475 in checks so far this cycle, according to analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

While the lion's share of Dean's $25 million-plus in campaign largess comes from individuals in small increments, the top donors to his campaign include Viacom, Walt Disney Co., News Corp, Sony Corp. of America and Vivendi Universal.

"His big contributors have a policy that appears to be diametrically opposed to one of his main campaign themes: to reduce the influence of big media," said CRP spokesman Steven Weiss.

The Dean camp did not respond to several calls seeking comment.

The donations came in the form of individual checks from execs and other employees at each of the media giants, who might be surprised to learn Dean is not a huge fan of large multinational corporations controlling the country's news and entertainment.

A louder voice

Dean has expressed these views several times during the campaign, but never as strongly or as publicly as he did earlier this week. In an interview with "Hardball" host Chris Matthews, Dean vowed to "break up giant media enterprises." The candidate made the remarks on General Electric-owned MSNBC's show and, in his usual dogged style, Matthews pressed Dean to explain himself.

"GE just buys Universal. Would you do something there about that?" Matthews asked. "Would you stop that from happening?"

Dean stammered and tried to respond. "You can't say -- you can't ask me right now and get an answer -- would I break up X Corp. ..."

But Matthews refused to let up. "Are you going to break up the giant media enterprises in this country?"

"Yes," Dean responded. "That doesn't mean we're going to break up all of GE. What we're going to do is say that media enterprises can't be as big as they are today."

Dean then repeated the common refrain among media reform activists, that 11 companies in the U.S. control 90% of what people watch on television and read in newspapers, magazines and books.

"We need to have a wide variety of opinions in every community," he continued. "We don't have that because of (FCC chairman Michael Powell) and what George Bush has tried to do to the FCC."

Energized opponents

The comments energized opponents of media consolidation, who pointed to them as evidence that the issue of media concentration would play a prominent role in the 2004 presidential campaign.

"I think it just shows one more time how alive and central this issue is to so many Americans," Democratic FCC commissioner Michael Copps told Daily Variety. "Of all the domestic issues we're confronting, I can't think of anything more important than the future of the democracy of this country."

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), who is spearheading the House effort to undo the new FCC rules, pledged to keep the issue on Congress' front burner next year. Hinchey, who has endorsed Dean, said he was encouraged by the comments on "Hardball."

"I think Dean understands very clearly the necessity of having many voices and many opinions being expressed," Hinchey said.

Among Dean enthusiasts, there is little blame for his decision to accept campaign donations from the very entities he condemns. Hinchey argues that media companies are not donating to politicians solely to promote their own corporate agenda.

"They're not one-issue people," he said. "Some of them are concerned about war in Iraq. Some of them are concerned about integrity at the highest levels of our country, and many of them are distressed at being lied to by the president and the vice president. Those issues are of concern to them as well as the issue of consolidation."

Hoping for a reversal

If Dean pulls off a victory next year, media activists believe he would reverse a trend toward allowing media companies to grow larger and larger, but would stop short of imposing radical regulations to follow through with his vow to break up big media literally.

"He's keeping the fire burning on this issue," said Jeff Chester, who heads the Center for Digital Democracy. "I think things will be much fairer, but I don't believe that any Democrat is going to force a wholesale divestiture. We're not going to see the heads of the four networks sent to Guantanamo Bay."