PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 10-1084 Released: June 16, 2010 MEDIA BUREAU ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF REQUESTS FOR QUOTATION FOR MEDIA OWNERSHIP STUDIES AND SEEKS SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL STUDIES IN MEDIA OWNERSHIP PROCEEDING MB Docket No. 09-182 Suggestions for Additional Studies Deadline: July 7, 2010 Requests for Quotation for Media Ownership Studies. As part of the Commission’s 2010 Quadrennial Media Ownership proceeding,1 the Commission is commissioning nine economic studies to evaluate the current marketplace and the state of the media industry. Toward this end, today the Commission issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for each of the nine studies, which are available at the Federal Business Opportunities website, located at http://www.FedBizOpps.gov. Additional information on the RFQs, including copies of the Statement of Work for each solicitation, is available at the FBO website. In addition, the Commission will provide a link to the FBO website on the FCC’s media ownership web page, at http://www.fcc.gov/ownership/. Each of the studies will define a relevant performance metric with respect to one or more of the three public interest goals of competition, localism, and diversity that the Commission seeks to promote through its media ownership rules. The studies will then examine how results vary across markets with differing ownership structures. The Commission’s primary but not exclusive focus is on empirical work. When the studies have been completed, the Commission will release the studies to the public subject to the terms and conditions of a protective order, seek formal comments, and provide for a formal peer review process. Full descriptions of the studies are listed in the RFQs, and for ease of reference, we are providing brief descriptions of the studies in this Notice: § Study 1: Media usage as a function of local market structure. This study will analyze media usage (television viewing and radio listening) as a function of local market structure, taking account of the availability of other media platforms and holding constant other relevant factors. 1 2010 Quadrennial Regulatory Review—Review of the Commission’s Broadcast Ownership Rules and Other Rules Adopted Pursuant to Section 202 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Notice of Inquiry, MB Docket No. 09-182, FCC 10-92 (May 25, 2010). 2 § Study 2: Consumer survey and consumer valuation of media as a function of local market structure. This study will examine, based on a consumer survey, the impact of local media market structure on consumer satisfaction with available broadcast radio and television service. The study will examine, to the extent feasible, overall satisfaction with the media environment, satisfaction with locally-oriented media content, including news, and satisfaction by demographic groups. The survey will gather information on how much time people spend with various media and how people get news and information. The survey may also collect information on certain measures of civic engagement or political participation. § Study 3: Civic knowledge/engagement as a function of local market structure. This study will examine civic knowledge and/or engagement with respect to local or regional events as a function of local market structure, for the overall population and also, to the extent feasible, by demographic group. § Study 4: Quantity of local television news and public affairs programming provided as a function of local market structure. This study will examine the effect of local market structure on the total amount of local television news and public affairs programming provided by station and also by market. § Study 5: Quantity of radio news and public affairs programming provided and audience for radio news programming as a function of local market structure. This study will examine provision of radio news and public affairs programming and will examine the impact of local market structure on presence of news formats. The study may also examine station websites to determine how much news these stations provide. § Study 6: Local content on the Internet. The study will examine the availability and usage of local content on the Internet and analyze the impact of local market structure on the availability and usage of local Internet content. The study shall analyze, at a minimum, the extent to which websites offering local Internet content are affiliated with local radio stations, television stations, newspapers, or other media entities and whether the degree of such affiliation varies across markets with different local market structures. § Study 7: Impact of minority ownership on minority-targeted radio programming. This study will examine the impact of minority ownership on minority-targeted radio station formats. This study will assess whether minority ownership of one or more stations in a market influences the total amount of minority targeted programming available in that market. § Study 8: Empirical analysis of the impact of local market structure on viewpoint diversity. This study will examine the impact of local market structure on viewpoint diversity. § Study 9: Theoretical analysis of the impact of local market structure on the range of viewpoints supplied. This study will develop and analyze a theoretical model of the impact of local market structure on media owners’ incentives to shape the distribution of information under varying assumptions regarding owner incentives. 3 Additional Guidance on Preparing Responses to RFQs. The Commission has elected to use the Simplified Acquisition Procedures for these RFQs, as specified in Part 13 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations. A complete copy of Part 13 is available online at https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/FARTOCP13.html#wp271421. In addition, during the first week of the RFQ period, interested parties who have questions concerning the RFQ process, or who would like to provide feedback on the process, should contact Bridget Gauer, Office of the Managing Director, FCC at (202) 418-1865 or by email at Bridget.Gauer@fcc.gov. Parties who have questions concerning the studies should contact Jonathan Levy, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, FCC at (202) 418-2048 or by email at Jonathan.Levy@fcc.gov. Solicitation of Suggestions for Additional Studies. By this Public Notice, the Bureau also is soliciting suggestions for additional studies in the media ownership proceeding. We invite parties to submit specific descriptions of proposed studies, including well-defined performance metrics that relate to one or more of the three policy goals of competition, localism, and diversity. The deadline to file suggestions for studies is July 7, 2010. For further information on the Commission’s media ownership proceeding, interested parties should review the Notice of Inquiry released on May 25, 2010, which is available on the Commission’s media ownership website, at http://www.fcc.gov/ownership/. The Commission will not be awarding any contracts on the basis of any suggestions received. Instead, after evaluating responses to this Public Notice, the Commission may or may not choose to issue additional RFQs. Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR §§ 1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file their suggestions for studies on or before the date indicated on the first page of this document. Filings should refer to MB Docket No. 09-182, and may be filed using: (1) the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), (2) the Federal Government’s eRulemaking Portal, or (3) by filing paper copies.2 § Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/ or the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Filers should follow the instructions provided on the website for submitting comments. § Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies of each filing. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail (although we continue to experience delays in receiving U.S. Postal Service mail). All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. § All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St., SW, Room TW- A325, Washington, DC 20554. The filing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. 2 See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998). 4 § Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. § U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington D.C. 20554. Parties should send a copy of their suggestions for additional studies by U.S. mail to: Jonathan Levy, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20554 or by email to Jonathan.Levy@fcc.gov. Documents will be available for public inspection and copying during business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, Room CY-A257, 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20554. The documents may also be purchased from BCPI, telephone (202) 488-5300, facsimile (202) 488-5563, TTY (202) 488-5562, e-mail fcc@bcpiweb.com. People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). Press inquiries should be directed to Janice Wise, at (202) 418-8165 or via email at Janice.Wise@fcc.gov. -FCC-