[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 93 (Friday, June 21, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6633-S6634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      OWNERSHIP OF RADIO STATIONS

  Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, back when we had the telecommunications 
bill up, I had an amendment that would have permitted some enlargement 
of ownership in radio stations, but kept a cap on. The bill we passed 
took the cap off completely. In this morning's newspapers, on the front 
page of the New York Times and Washington Post, are stories about 
Westinghouse buying a huge chunk of American radio. The business 
section of the New York Times says: ``Westinghouse would own 32 percent 
of top markets.''
  That is not a healthy thing. I would like to read the honor roll. I 
say to my colleagues on the other side, I regret there are only two 
Republicans listed here, because we end up in partisan mode so often in 
this body, and I am sure this is one of those cases where others might 
have voted with us if that had not happened. But those who voted for 
limitation, and not taking the cap away are: Senator Daniel Akaka; 
Senator Joe Biden; Senator Jeff Bingaman; Senator Barbara Boxer; 
Senator Bill Bradley; Senator Dale Bumpers; Senator Robert Byrd; 
Senator Kent Conrad; Senator Mike DeWine; Senator Chris Dodd; Senator 
Byron Dorgan; Senator Russ Feingold; Senator Dianne Feinstein; Senator 
Tom Harkin; Senator Jesse Helms, who has some background in this 
business of radio; Senator Bennett Johnston; Senator Ted Kennedy; 
Senator John Kerry; Senator Bob Kerrey; Senator Frank Lautenberg; 
Senator Pat Leahy; Senator Carl Levin; Senator

[[Page S6634]]

Joe Lieberman; Senator Barbara Mikulski; Senator Pat Moynihan; Senator 
Patty Murray; Senator Claiborne Pell; Senator David Pryor; Senator 
Harry Reid; Senator Chuck Robb; Senator Jay Rockefeller; Senator Paul 
Sarbanes, and Senator Paul Wellstone. Voting ``present'' was Senator 
Nancy Kassebaum.
  That was a great mistake, lifting that cap off completely. Now, we 
are in a situation where one corporation, or even one individual, 
theoretically, could control radio in this country. I think it is not a 
healthy thing. I do not know what happens, but I hope that in the next 
session of Congress--and I recognize it will not happen in this 
session--there will be some kind of a cap put on. I do not think it 
would be a healthy thing if one corporation, for example, in Alaska, or 
Georgia, or Washington, or Delaware, or Illinois, held all the radio 
stations. I think this tendency toward concentration of ownership is 
not a good thing for our country, and I simply want to commend my 
colleagues--particularly, Senators Mike DeWine and Jesse Helms, who 
went away from the party lines to vote for that amendment. I commend 
them, particularly.
  I thank my colleague from Georgia for yielding the time.

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