Corruption in the Gov

Southern Co. hired a new congressional lobbyist this week, and a Washington D.C.-based environmental group is calling foul.

The lobbyist, John Pemberton, is currently a senior official with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's air division, which delivered a key victory to Southern Co. and other coal-fired utility companies last week.

Richard Wiley, a senior partner in the Washington lobbying powerhouse Wiley, Rein and Fielding, knows a thing or two about media ownership rules. As FCC chairman in 1975, Wiley supported the ban on newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership.

The proliferation of cable TV stations and the Web, however, changed his mind. These days he is among the staunchest advocates for relaxing the ownership limits. He is so often seen at the FCC—advocating the interests of media clients including Belo Corp., Clear Channel and Gannett—he is known to many as the unofficial "sixth commissioner." In an interview with Capital Eye, Wiley discussed the lobbying strategy of his clients.