Nobody Likes Kevin

Say what you will about former F.C.C. chairman Michael Powell's ill-fated attempt to do away with media ownership limits, it had a certain integrity. Powell was a conservative who believed in less government regulation of industry, and his reforms were consistent with that agenda. They were ambitious, with the potential to radically alter the media landscape. And after Powell got slapped down by Congress, the courts and public opinion, he eventually slunk away.

Will Kevin Martin be gracious enough to do the same? In trying to ram through his own rule-change program, Martin has showed all the political tone-deafness of his predecessor, with none of the redeeming qualities. Where Powell presented a sweeping vision of change, Martin plays small ball. Where Powell put forth a clear if controversial rationale, Martin offers only a muddle. As a result, he's getting lambasted not just by Democrats and public interest groups, but by the very media behemoths whose water he's trying to carry.

"The proposal put forward by Chairman Kevin J. Martin appeared to please almost no one," notes The Washington Post. "Few Friends for Proposal on Media," reads a New York Times headline.

In a Times op-ed yesterday, Martin tried to spin his plan as a way to save the newspaper industry. But the industry doesn't have his back: Newspaper Association of America president John Sturm criticizes Martin's reforms for being "extremely limited." (They would allow newspaper companies to own only smaller TV stations in the 20 largest markets.)

But surely Tribune Co. favors the plan? After all, The Wall Street Journal says Martin's proposal "appear[s] tailored to ensure the completion of Tribune Co.'s deal with real estate magnate Sam Zell." Nope. In fact, even if the rule change were to be approved within Martin's hyper-accelerated timeframe, Tribune would still have to sell one of its properties in Hartford, Conn., or else get a waiver to keep them both. Thus, CEO Dennis FitzSimons's grumpy memo to employees yesterday.

Clearly, Martin thought he could accomplish with baby steps what Powell failed to do in a big leap. That's looking more and more like a major miscalculation.