Tribune Asks Court to Allow Cross-Ownership

Tribune Co. asked a federal appeals court to allow mergers between newspapers and broadcast stations in markets with at least nine television stations.

The motion follows a June 24 decision by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia overturning new rules that would have lifted a blanket ban enacted in 1975 on newspaper-television cross-ownership in all markets except those with four television stations or fewer.

The court said the Federal Communications Commission was correct to reject a blanket ban on cross-ownership, but the court still blocked the FCC’s new rules, saying the agency didn’t support the specific cross-ownership limits it retained in mid-size markets.

Tribune attorneys noted that the FCC found no limits were needed in markets with nine television stations -- precisely the markets in which the company’s newspapers operate, including the Los Angeles Times.