Yesterday, the Department of Justice gave their approval for Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s proposed $5 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., saying the deal was unlikely to lessen competition or harm consumers.

The transaction was approved without conditions.

We strenuously object to the proposed merger between XM and Sirius satellite radio. Approval of this merger would not only create an unfair monopoly, but could also spark a tidal wave of consolidation among media companies that would leave citizens' informational needs behind. Common Cause, and its 300,000 members and supporters, urges the FCC to put a halt to this merger or at the very least establish conditions to protect consumers now that the Justice Department has dropped the ball.

XM and Sirius received licenses to use the publicly-owned airwaves on the condition that the two companies would not merge. The FCC was presumably concerned then about the hazards of a monopoly in satellite radio service. That concern should be even greater today in the face of increased media consolidation in television, radio and newspapers.

The FCC must ask hard questions - and demand comprehensive answers - as to why the only two national satellite radio companies should be allowed to become one. This merger is about more than what price consumers will be charged for satellite radio, although that is an area that should be examined.

XM and Sirius must also explain how this merger will serve the public interest.

Will there be more diversity and more viewpoints aired?

Will programming that serves the educational and informational needs of both children and adults be promoted?

Will channels be set aside for public service?

Can citizens trust any promises of public interest programming made by the merged companies, given that XM and Sirius have broken other promises to consumers, such as development of interoperable radios?

Speak out at http://www.commoncause.org/StopXMSiriusMerger

In most cities and towns, radio stations are controlled by a handful of wealthy corporations who tend to put their own profits ahead of the needs of the local communities they serve. This is about to change! Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the House and Senate, the Local Community Radio Act of 2007, if passed it would allow Low Power FM radio stations to be built across the country.

What is LPFM? They are stations used by schools, community groups, churches and nonprofits to broadcast local information to and about their communities. And they are a great alternative to consolidated commercial radio.

Lower Power FM radio was first established in 2000. Back then, the National Association of Broadcasters, an industry trade group, convinced Congress the Low Power FM would interfere with big radio stations' broadcast. So for the past few years, Low Power FM has been limited to only rural areas.

But a new study from independent MITRE Corp. shows that Low Power FM causes no interference, and can co-exist with major radio stations, even in big cities. We need to take advantage of this positive momentum by urging our representatives to support the Local Community Radio Act of 2007.

Send a message to your Representative today that we need to put more radio stations in the hands of local people!

What a week for radio and talk about good timing. In the past 48 hours a new study was released revealing that talk radio is predominantly conservative. In addition, a bipartisan bill was introduced in both the House and the Senate seeking to expand the number of low power FM radio stations in cities and suburbs across the country. This is not about apples and oranges, this is about demonstrating the need for diversifying the radio and providing the means to do so. On the one hand we have a statistical analysis concluding just how politically one-sided radio broadcasting is followed by promising legislation that aims to open these airwaves up to local communities to regain fresh, diverse sounds.

Free Press and the the Center for American Progress confirms in its report, "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio," that talk radio, one of the most widely used media formats in America, is dominated almost exclusively by conservatives. It concludes that the gap between conservative and progressive talk radio is the result of multiple structural problems in the U.S. and suggests that diversifying radio ownership would lead to more diverse programming.

Have you ever been listening to the radio and thought, "I could do better than this!"?

Well, this may be your chance.

The FCC is opening up a rare opportunity where they will be giving away free radio licenses to non-profit organizations. Usually commercial stations like this sell for millions of dollars, but since these are non-commercial channels they are given out for free. If your group meets the qualifications, and a frequency is available, you can start a radio station.

Our friends at the Prometheus Radio Project have helped to build radio stations for civil rights groups, unions, environmentalists, schools, tribes, and neighborhood organizations of all sorts. Any frequencies worth having will be given away this October, so if you want a radio station, this is your big chance!

If you want to know more, check out GetRadio.org. Linked from that page is a tool that can tell whether there are any frequencies available near your zip code. If you want to know more, contact the nice people at Prometheus and they will be happy to help you claim your community's slice of the FM dial! 215-727-9620 or info@prometheusradio.org.

A couple weeks ago, XM and Sirius announced that they are merging. Tomorrow, a House Subcommittee will hold a hearing on "The Future of Radio", and a discussion of the XM-Sirius merger is on the agenda.

Check our website tomorrow to read Common Cause's testimony (here's a hint: we think media monopolies generally aren't a good idea). In the meantime, tell us what you think. Will the merger be good for consumers? Bad for media? Inquiring minds want to know.

The low power radio amendment to the telecom bill just passed the Senate Commerce Committee.  This is a step in the right direction -- low power radio stations cater to the specific needs of local communities, unlike some corporate radio owners I know (cough, Clear Channel, cough).

Thank you to everyone who made calls to their Senators over the past week.  And thank you to the bipartisan group of 14 Senators who did the right thing:  Senators McCain, Allen, Boxer, Cantwell, Dorgan, Inouye, Kerry, Lautenberg, Lott, Nelson, Pryor, Rockefeller, Sununu, and Vitter.

Net neutrality is up next, we'll post an update shortly after the vote happens.

Many thanks to all of you who have been calling your Senators in support of the Snowe-Dorgan net neutrality amendment.  The hearing starts tomorrow afternoon and we'll keep you posted on what happens.

In the meantime, we'd like to ask you to make one more call your Senator on the Commerce Committee.  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is proposing a amendment to support and expand low power FM radio.  This is important because low power radio ("LPFM") is an antidote to the consolidated, corporate media.  LPFM stations are able to offer programming that truly serves the needs of communities, covering local politics, local music, etc.  They also save lives and provide essential communications infrastructure during emergency situations like last year's Hurricane Katrina.

Please call your Senator and urge support for the McCain low power FM amendment.  The phone numbers are listed here.  We're especially urging people in Louisana to call Sen. David Vitter at (202) 224-4623, and people in South Carolina to call Sen. James DeMint at (202) 224-6121.  Please let us know how the call went by leaving a comment.

You can learn more about LPFM by visiting our friends at the Prometheus Radio Project.