Asian-Language Broadcaster KTSF Announces Opposition to Federal Legislation to Regulate TV Ratings

Asian-Language Broadcaster KTSF Announces Opposition to Federal Legislation to Regulate TV Ratings

SAN FRANCISCO, July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Asian language broadcaster, KTSF-TV, today said it opposes legislation that would federally regulate TV ratings because it could stifle recent strides in Asian and other ethnic programming.

The legislation, S. 1372 -- introduced by Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), would require mandatory accreditation of television ratings through the Media Rating Council. The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a hearing on S. 1372 for Wednesday July 27, 2005.

In a letter sent last week to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, KTSF General Manager Michael Sherman said:

"Instead of spurring the growth of ethnic television, we believe this (legislation) would diminish entrepreneurial opportunities by creating unnecessary and contentious procedures for determining ratings.

"KTSF believes that if federal legislation created mandatory ratings accreditation we would not have been able to get the kind of creative response from a media research entity to serve our immediate needs. With respect to the oversight of television ratings, we agree with the FTC when it said earlier this year that: 'well-constructed industry self-regulatory efforts can be more prompt, flexible and effective than government regulation.'

"As a broadcaster offering ethnic programming, I want to reiterate that for our markets to grow we must have access to the most relevant research information available. This will certainly require continuous advances in television ratings systems that can respond quickly to the changing dynamics and competitiveness of today's television environment.

"Passage of S. 1372 will not get us there. The incentives and competitiveness of the free market system has already done a good job and can continue to better assist the recent surge in diverse ethnic programming."

KTSF is locally owned and operated by the Lincoln Broadcasting Company. In the Bay Area, KTSF is available over-the-air on channel 26 and on cable channel 8 on Comcast Cable throughout the market. DirecTV and Dish Network also carry KTSF.

Source: KTSF-TV

CONTACT: Paul Fadelli, +1-510-813-2513 or Michael Sherman, +1-415-468-2626

Web site: http://www.ktsf.com/

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