Overwhelmed by Big Consolidation: Bringing Back Regulation to Increase Diversity in Programming That Serves Minority Audiences‪.‬

I. INTRODUCTION The president of a national organization advocating for more diverse role models in programming once joked, "[T]here actually have been studies showing there are more extraterrestrials on television than Latinos." (1) Although intended as a humorous representation of the lack of minorities in American media, the statement demonstrates the harsh reality that the media industry often ignores its minority audience. With the deregulation of media in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, the unprecedented consolidation of American media has narrowed the ability of minority and nonminority audiences to obtain diverse programming. (2) While the FCC has tried addressing this problem by promoting its policy of expanding minority ownership of the media, (3) heavy deregulation in the last three decades has resulted in "Big Media" companies consolidating their ownership across media; this consolidation has "threatened [] localism, diversity, and competition[,]" and has led to a considerable downsizing of local reporters, editors, and DJs who cater to cities and towns across America. (4)