Mega-Mega-Merger: Meet the New Media Monopoly

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/01/24-10

With Comcast's takeover of NBC, the era of the mega-mega-merger is upon us.

For more than a century, American law has recognized the destructive power of corporate monopolies. When one company controls an entire resource, means of production, or delivery system for products, it gets an unfair advantage over competitors. It can overcharge them out of existence or drive them into bankruptcy. Since Teddy Roosevelt's presidency, our government has tried to ensure that monopolistic business practices don’t destroy fair pricing and consumer choice.

Then how can it justify the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal, which the Federal Communications Commission approved on January 18? The FCC is supposed to reject any media merger that doesn’t advance the public interest. But Comcast’s takeover of NBC will give one mega-corporation control of too much of what we watch and how we watch it.

The deal creates not just a new media behemoth with the ability to throttle competition and stifle innovation, but a completely new model for media organizations and how they operate. Where Comcast and NBC go today, AT&T, Verizon, Disney, Time Warner, and Viacom are soon to follow. The era of the mega-mega-merger is upon us.

Comcast is already the country’s largest cable and home broadband provider. The new Comcast will own production, content, and distribution for local television stations, national networks broadcasting in English and Spanish, and numerous cable channels and movie studios. One company will soon account for 20 percent of all network and cable TV viewing hours.

That should worry you.

MORE at the link --

[femrap]

1. WASF.....nt

[Newest Reality]

2. Well, the media empire would potentially

crumble or significantly change if vast numbers of people opted-out.

However, it is not likely that those who live to be entertained and have income to sustain it will cancel their cable/satellite, or withdraw from the savory teat of media.

That's how and why they win.