Heard enough of "SexyBack" on the radio?

According to a report released by the Benton Foundation and the Social Science Research Council, increased media consolidation — that's when one company owns a bunch of stations in one market — would probably mean more, not less Justin Timberlake.

From the report, two points on the Federal Communications Commission's limitations on radio station ownership and music formats:

•  "Relatively uncommon or 'niche' formats like classical, jazz, folk, tejano and gospel are least common among station groups that are over the cap or exactly at the cap -- even though those station groups have the most spectrum to spend on niche formats -- while being much more common among station groups that are under the cap."
  
• "The largest station groups -- that is, those in excess of or exactly at the local ownership cap -- focus on six format categories: adult contemporary, album-oriented rock/classic rock, contemporary hit radio (Top 40), country, news and rock. The other format categories are underrepresented compared to the rest of radio."

Current FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has supported extinguishing the three-decade-old shackles on cross-ownership, but the issue will most likely be determined by what happens after the November congressional elections.

Of course, this may not matter because the FCC has no say if J.T. (or folk or gospel or whatever) exists on your MP3 playlists, burned CDs or satellite and Internet radio stations.

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Derrik J. Lang is an asap reporter in New York.

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