“The dirty little secret about Rupert Murdoch’s play to buy another New York media property in addition to the ones he already owns is that there’s little anybody can do to stop him,” argues the Hollywood Reporter’s Brooks Boliek.

Sad, but true. Just as Donald Trump’s Trump Soho swatted away critics by beginning physical construction on his downtown condo-hotel, making the project inevitable, Murdoch has shaped the debate about his purchase of Newsday as a “when” debate, not an “if.”

And even as Murdoch faces off against New York foe Mort Zuckerman for control of Newsday, there’s actually little the Federal Communications Commission could actually do to stop Murdoch from snapping up the paper if Tribune gives the OK.

How come?

“In the topsy-turvy world of media regulation, Murdoch or any other media baron can own a TV station and then buy a newspaper in the same market, and there’s not much federal regulators can do about it directly.

“The FCC doesn’t have the power to review Murdoch’s bid to purchase Long Island-based Newsday in advance, but when the News Corp.-owned TV stations in the area come up for license renewal, the panel does have the power to consider whether a purchase of the paper by Murdoch is in the public interest.” [THR]