As chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Wiley in 1975 led the agency in creating a ban on companies owning a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same market. Now, as counsel to the Newspaper Association of America, the founding partner of Washington’s Wiley Rein is a leader in a decadelong fight to kill it.
It’s one of the most contentious and legally convoluted battles in Washington. Broadcasters and publishers argue that the media landscape has been totally transformed since 1975 and the ban no longer makes any sense. Further, they say the survival of newspapers in some markets may depend on their ability to combine with local television stations.
