Big media has won and we have all lost: June 2, 2003
Seems the FCC has voted that big media is not nearly big enough. The FCC voted to further relax the rules governing how much of the market share these big huge media corporations can now own. It is at 45% of the television stations because of today's vote, when it used to be 35%. As well, these huge companies can now own newspapers, radio, TV and cable in the same market. Like say, NY, L.A. and everywhere in between.
I think this is a very bad sign for this industry (Entertainment) and this country (News and the public interest). I would hate to get into all the worse case scenarios but just be assured, total power corrupts totally. That is not to say big media has all the power and that they will use it inappropriately but today they have just gotten a step closer. Bad sign of things to come.
Look, it could be that these companies that will buy up a bigger percent of the media pie will be benevolent, putting the publics needs and interests right up there with profits and their bottom line. However, I don't feel that will happen at all.
Look at the very essence of this site and it's ideals. I got the concept of the site because big business took real butter out of the theaters and replaced it with piss yellow oil to make a few extra million a year. This serves no one but big business.
Even when you think of a movie chain like Arclight Theaters , that brought back real butter at the concessions stand but at a price, $15 dollars a ticket here in Los Angeles. So it cost you an extra 5 to 7 dollars to go to a theater that serves real butter. I have no doubt this trend will continue and it is. I have seen other signs of this, like the size of the box candy you now get at the movies. The boxes seems to have shrunken by more than half and yet I see the prices about the same or maybe a tad cheaper to fool you into thinking you are getting a deal. When I was younger I remember buying a box of Junior Mints and finishing more than half, still having candy left over and feeling like I ate too much. These days, I can polish off a box and when I leave the movie house, I am still hungry. This is what is going on all over the media landscape, however, on a bigger scale and with a lot more at stake than Junior Mints.
That is all I will say on this, well, one more thing. Here is hoping that big business in this country starts to become benevolent, though I wouldn't hold your breath if I were you.
Head Honcho
