Station-cap roulette now lands on 39%.(the Bush Administration reaches a compromise over media deregulation by agreeing to permanently set the national TV-station-ownership cap at 39%)

Broadcasting & Cable, December, 2003 by McConnell, Bill

Like comedian Jack Benny, who never admitted to turning 40, the national cap on TV ownership could be perpetually stuck at 39. At 39% of TV homes, that is. Last week, the Bush White House brokered a surprise compromise over media deregulation by agreeing to permanently set the national TV-station-ownership cap at 39% of U.S.

television households. That percentage conveniently allows Fox and Viacom to retain all their stations. Wielding a threat to veto a catch-all spending bill over a provision that would roll the limit back to 35%, aides to President Bush persuaded Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to back down from the tighter limit. Stevens's action came less than a week after he had persuaded reluctant House...

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