ABSTRACT
Jim Thomson, CEO of Thomson Media, felt that he had got the ball rolling. Mr. Thomson had been pressured to consider the sale of Thomson Media to a real-estate mogul, Herbert Zellman. However, Mr. Zellman was not interested in the company unless the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) showed some signs of loosening its restrictions on market-level ownership of multiple media properties. Mr. Thomson had personally established a rapport with the head of the FCC, Kevin Brown. If the commission approves Mr. Brown's plan, a major obstacle would be removed to the multibillion deals with Mr. Zellman, who would otherwise have to get the waivers renewed. Under Mr. Brown's proposal, there would have to be at least few other 'media voices' in that market, including newspapers and major commercial television stations, and the television station could not be one of the few largest channels in the market.
