Question 1

The Supreme Court overturned a Joint Operating Agreement in:

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court overturned a Joint Operating Agreement in Citizen Publishing v. U.S., ruling that the agreement between two competing newspapers to combine operations was in violation of antitrust laws.

Question 2

The Supreme Court once said it was an antitrust violation for a newspaper to refuse to accept ads from anyone who advertised in a competing medium.The case:

Accepted Answer

The case of Lorain Journal v. U.S. established that refusing to accept ads from someone who advertised in a competing medium was an antitrust violation. In this case, the Lorain Journal newspaper was found to be violating antitrust laws by implementing a policy that refused to accept ads from any business that advertised with a competing radio station.

Question 3

In its 2007 revision of the ownership rules,the FCC:

Accepted Answer

In its 2007 revision of the ownership rules, the FCC dropped the cross-ownership restrictions in the 20 largest markets under some circumstances. This allowed for companies to own both a newspaper and a broadcast station in these markets if specific criteria were met.

Question 4

The Supreme Court once said it was not an antitrust violation for a newspaper company to bundle advertising in its morning and evening newspapers,requiring advertisers to buy an ad in both to get an ad in either one.The case:

Accepted Answer

The correct case is U.S. v. Times-Picayune. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that it was not an antitrust violation for a newspaper company to bundle advertising in its morning and evening editions, requiring advertisers to purchase ads in both to get an ad in either one.

Question 5

Under the FCC's 2003 ownership rules,how many TV stations would one company have been allowed to own in the largest markets?

Accepted Answer

Under the FCC's 2003 ownership rules, one company would have been allowed to own up to three TV stations in the largest markets.

Question 6

The FCC's rule forbidding the creation of new print-broadcast cross-ownerships was affirmed during the 1970s by the Supreme Court in:

Accepted Answer

The National Citizens Committee for Broadcasting v. FCC case in 1978 affirmed the FCC's rule prohibiting cross-ownership between broadcast and print media. The other options listed were cases involving the FCC and media ownership, but they did not specifically address the print-broadcast cross-ownership rule.

Question 7

The Supreme Court in 2005 held that cable television systems may deny competing Internet service providers access to their high-speed lines.The case:

Accepted Answer

In the case of NCTA v. Brand X Internet Services, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of cable television systems and held that these systems may deny competing Internet service providers access to their high-speed lines. The Court reasoned that cable internet services did not qualify as a "telecommunications service" under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and therefore, cable companies were not required to offer access to their lines under the act's provisions. As a result, cable companies had the discretion to decide whether they would grant access to competing internet service providers or not.

Question 8

The basic legal principle that the news media are subject to the same antitrust laws as other businesses was established by the Supreme Court in:

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court established the basic legal principle that the news media are subject to the same antitrust laws as other businesses in the case of Associated Press v. U.S. This decision underscored that press organizations do not have a special exemption from laws that prevent monopolistic practices.

Question 9

In Brantley v.NBC Universal,Inc. ,an appellate court said that a common cable company practice did not violate Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.What practice?

Accepted Answer

The appellate court concluded that tying desirable channels to less desirable ones in packages, which is a common cable company practice known as "bundling," did not violate Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Question 10

As a result of lawsuits challenging the Kansas City Star's business practices,the Star Corporation and its officers faced which of the following legal actions?

Accepted Answer

The question asks what legal actions the Star Corporation and its officers faced as a result of lawsuits challenging their business practices. The options presented are criminal antitrust lawsuits by the U.S. government (choice A), civil antitrust lawsuits by the government (choice B), and treble-damage antitrust suits by private parties (choice C). These are all possible legal actions that could result from antitrust lawsuits. Therefore, the correct answer is D, as all of these legal actions are possible outcomes of antitrust lawsuits.

Question 11

How would the FCC's 2003 revision of its ownership rules have affected the print-broadcast cross-ownership rule?

Accepted Answer

The FCC's 2003 revision of its ownership rules would have legalized cross-ownership except in markets having fewer than four TV stations. This means that in markets with four or more TV stations, print-broadcast cross-ownership would have been allowed.

Question 12

In 2002,the D.C.Circuit ordered the FCC to abolish or better justify some of its television duopoly restrictions in smaller markets.The case:

Accepted Answer

This case involved a challenge by Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest owners of local television stations in the United States, to the FCC's restrictions on duopolies (ownership of multiple stations in a single market) in smaller markets. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the FCC to either abolish or provide better justification for these restrictions.

Question 13

Under current FCC regulations how many radio stations (including both AM and FM stations)may one company own in a major market such as New York or Los Angeles?

Accepted Answer

Under current FCC regulations, a company may own up to eight radio stations in a major market, with no more than five being in the same service (AM or FM).

Question 14

In what case did a consumers' group win the right to pursue antitrust claims against a major domain name registrar?

Accepted Answer

Coalition for ICANN Transparency, Inc. v. VeriSign is the case where a consumers' group won the right to pursue antitrust claims against a major domain name registrar, VeriSign.

Question 15

Under the law in effect today,how many AM radio stations in the entire U.S.may one company ordinarily own?

Accepted Answer

Under current regulations, there is no specific limit on the number of AM radio stations a single company can own in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rules regarding ownership concentration, but these do not impose a hard cap on the number of AM stations one entity can own nationwide.

Question 16

In 2002,the Washington-based U.S.Court of Appeals also ordered the FCC to abolish or better justify its rule barring any company from owning stations that reach more than 35 percent of the nation's TV households.The case:

Accepted Answer

This case directly pertains to the FCC rule on ownership limits, specifically the limit of 35% of the nation's TV households. The U.S. Court of Appeals ordered the FCC to either abolish or better justify this rule in response to the lawsuit brought by Fox Television Stations. Therefore, A) is the best choice as it directly correlates with the given information.

Question 17

In 2011,the DoJ and FTC approved the merger of NBC Universal and what company?

Accepted Answer

The approved merger was between NBC Universal and Comcast in 2011.

Question 18

In 2004,a federal appellate court decided the case of Commonwealth of Massachusetts v.Microsoft Corp. ,holding that:

Accepted Answer

The federal appellate court decided that Massachusetts' appeal should be rejected, stating that Microsoft's earlier settlement with the U.S. Justice Department was valid. Therefore, choice E is the correct answer. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because they do not reflect the court's decision in this case. Choice D is also incorrect because there was no mention of Microsoft having to pay Massachusetts' attorney fees in this case.

Question 19

In 2004,a federal appellate court ordered the FCC to reconsider its 2003 deregulation of ownership restrictions.The 2004 decision:

Accepted Answer

The federal appellate court decision that ordered the FCC to reconsider its 2003 deregulation of ownership restrictions was the Prometheus Radio Project v. FCC case.

Question 20

The Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 was designed to:

Accepted Answer

The Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 was designed to legalize joint operating agreements between financially struggling newspapers, allowing them to merge certain aspects of their operations while maintaining separate editorial voices. This was done in order to prevent the collapse of more newspapers and ensure the survival of diverse, local news sources.

Quiz 12: Media Ownership Issues