TV & VIDEO - Jan. 29, 1990

Fox Asks to Break Rules: Fox Broadcasting Co. on Tuesday will ask the Federal Communications Commission to allow it to develop into a “fourth network” to compete with NBC, ABC and CBS free of rules that restrict network programs and sales, said Fox Inc. Chairman Barry Diller. Once a company achieves network status, it falls under the FCC’s so-called financial interest and syndication rules. The rules prohibit a TV network from selling its programs to independent stations and prohibit a network from having a financial interest in programs it does not solely produce. Fox expects to reach what the FCC considers network status--a company that broadcasts 15 hours or more in programming a week--in September.