The Syndication and Financial Interest Rules: Is It a Prime Time for a Change

The FCC has recently proposed a repeal of the television network syndication and financial interest rules (Rules). The Rules, enacted in 1970, regulate certain network programming practices in an effort to shift more wealth to producers and thereby encourage more diverse and creative programming. The author questions the assumptions underlying the Rules and argues that drastic changes in the television marketplace have rendered the Rules ineffective. He concludes that the Rules should be replaced by new regulations more carefully constructed to prevent unwanted network dominance