With one possible exception, yesterday's elections did little to unsettle the congressional committees that oversee the FCC and shepherd legislation affecting broadcasting and cable.

In the House, Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) handily won re-election.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) was not up for re-election.

The possible exception is Ted Stevens (Alaska), the former ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee.

Stevens was convicted on federal corruption charges last week, but he hopes to reverse that decision on appeal and win reelection. As of this writing, he enjoys a slim lead over his opponent Democrat Mark Begich.

A Stevens loss would be a blow to broadcasters. He has been a long and trusted ally and extremely active on issues of important to them.

Another member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Republican Gordon Smith of Oregon, is also fighting to save his seat. He is being challenged by Democrat Jeff Merkley.

So far then, the Commerce Committee has lost only one member: John Sununu, Republican of New Hampshire. The first-term senator lost his seat in a rematch with former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.

Unlike Stevens, neither Smith nor Sununu has been a major factor on broadcasting and cable issues.

All other members of the Senate Commerce Committee were either re-elected or not up for re-election.

Committee members who won a return ticket to Washington were Republican Roger Wicker (Miss.) and Democrats Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.), John Kerry (Mass.), Frank Lautenberg (N.J.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.).

Commerce's Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), who replaced Stevens as ranking Republican on the committee when he was indicted, was not up for re-election. Even if Stevens returns to the Senate, she is expected to retain the top minority seat on the committee.

Hutchison is a former legal and political correspondent for KPRC Houston and a strong must-carry proponent.

Even though Democrats gained at least five seats in the Senate, the party was not able to oust Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.). That's good news for the broadcast industry because McConnell has been a longstanding opponent to free air time for political candidates.

With the five extra seats, the Democrats total in the 100-member body swells to 56. That number could go higher with three seats still being contested. In addition to the Stevens and Smith races, Democrat Al Franken is in a dead heat with Republican Norm Coleman in Minnesota.

Over in the House, Democrats took firm control, adding 18 seats to stretch their majority to 252. The House has a total of 435 seats.

It looks like all of Commerce's sitting Democrats will be back.

Joe Barton (Tex.) returns as Commerce's ranking Republican, but at least five other committee Republicans are leaving.

Exiting Republicans include Barbara Cubin (Wyo.), Chip Pickering (Miss.), Heather Wilson (New Mexico), Mike Ferguson (New Jersey) and Vito Fossella (New York).

None ran for re-election, but left the Congress for other reasons. All were also members of the Telecommunications Subcommittee.

Because of change in partisan balance in the House, some of the Republican vacancies on the committee may not be filled or filled with Democrats.

The organization of the new Congress in the coming months may cause more significant changes than the elections.

There is increasing speculation that Inouye might move to appropriations as chairman, clearing the way for West Virginia's Jay Rockefeller to run the Commerce Committee.

It all depends on whether Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), an ailing 90-year-old, will relinquish the appropriations chair.

A Rockefeller chairmanship is "probably not the worst news, but certainly not good news," says one broadcast industry source. "Rockefeller has never been a key broadcaster ally,'' the source adds.

Washington insiders say Rockefeller will pursue an aggressive agenda with legislation to restrict TV violence at the top.

Over in the House, a new House Judiciary subcommittee chairman will likely be chosen as California Democrat Howard Berman steps aside to chair the committee on Foreign Affairs.

A leading candidate to succeed Berman is Virginia Democrat Rick Boucher. Boucher would have to give up his Energy Subcommittee chairmanship.

If he takes over Copyright, he would be a mixed blessing for local broadcasters.

"He's among the most knowledgeable when it comes to our issues," says one broadcast lobbyist. Boucher has been supportive of broadcasters's retransmission consent rights.

But the Virginia lawmaker is considered to be close to Echostar's Charlie Ergen, a broadcasting nemesis. Echostar's satellite TV service operates a call center in Boucher's district.

At least two new congressional winners have ties to the broadcasting business.

New York elected Democrat Dan Maffei, a former on-air reporter who worked in 1993 for WIXT Syracuse (now WSYR) and WWNY Watertown.

One-time radio station owner Democrat Parker Griffith won his race for a House seat in Alabama.

They join a handful of lawmakers with broadcasting connections: Telecommunications Subcommittee member Greg Walden (R-Ore.), a former radio station owner; ex-radio talk show Mike Pence (R-Ind.); and Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), who worked as a radio announcer during his college days.