|
Dubbed the Strengthening Community Media Act, Senate Bill 3592
would create a new local journalism scholarship through the
Student Assistance Commission, subject to appropriation.
The measure would also require 120-day written notice to the
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the
company’s employees if the local media outlet is looking to
sell.
State Rep. Amy Elik, R-Alton, said she likes the idea of a local
journalism scholarship but was critical of the provision
requiring 120-day written notice of sale.
“It’s too long. It’s not required for other industries. I think
there are issues with interstate commerce here that need to be
addressed,” Elik said.
Elik worried the measure could lead to a local news outlet being
devalued over that time.
“At 120 days before the date of a sale, it’s not even soup yet.
Lawyers are still going back and forth setting terms. The value
might not even be known yet,” Elik said. “I think the unintended
consequence here is that 120-day notice is given, employees are
gonna start dropping off one-by-one, leaving, you’ve just
destroyed the value of that local newspaper and now that
newspaper will not be able to be sold to anybody and that
out-of-state buyer or anybody decides to back out, leaving them
with nothing.”
The bill’s House sponsor, state Rep. Dave Vella, D-Loves Park,
said the measure is important to local newspapers.
“That’s why we’re requiring this 120 days. Most of the people in
these big companies are coming in to buy these local news media
outlets are doing it to get a monopoly so the value to them is
not the actual news media, it’s just taking over another market,
another market,” Vella said. “That’s why we have to protect our
local news media from being taken over.”
After passing the Senate last month and the House Tuesday, the
measure can now be sent to the governor for further action.
|
|
