Media Conglomerates: How Much is too Much?
...the pool of media and be successful, not get eaten alive by huge corporations. In addition, the loss of small business goes along with the loss of big ideas. People who own their own businesses are their own bosses. They are self sufficient independent thinkers. “They know they can’t compete by imitating the big guys so they have to be innovative” says Ted Turner, owner of Tuner Broadcasting. The bigger picture becomes less about earnings and more about their ideas. They’re willing to take risks. According to Ted Turner, when Turner Broadcasting bought their first television station, they were losing $50,000 a month and the board objected. A lot of times short-term profits are confused with long-term value and programming is taken off the air because it is expensive and national programming is pushed because it is cheap. “Its like over fishing the oceans”, said Turner in reference to the approach corporations are taking. He also raises a good point. When the smaller businesses are gone where will the new ideas come from? The proposed new rules would give corporations even more power than they already posses and although they say they would not suppress speech, giving them that power is not something that should be done. They would posses the power to filter public debate and cut out important details. A corporation’s main objective is money (‘Monopoly or Democracy’ Turner). American’s should not settle for less just because corporations have the ability and the power to sell off information at a lower quality. Our democracy thrives off of the diverse opinions offered to us by different voices and owners. Michael Powell, chairmen of the FCC believes big media companies should be able to expand even further. Already America is well on its way to media concentration, this can be seen simply by the fact that over 90% of America’s media is owned by five conglomerates (‘The Five Sisters’ Safire). If companies are allowed to expand it is only a matter of time before this number shrinks, as each grows and begins to take over the rest. As of two years ago, one company could reach 39% of the United States’ market (‘Big Media’s Value to Consumers’ LA Times). Even between the five major conglomerates this is mathematically unfair. These media monopoly laws have become like lines in sand. In 1996 corporations were cut off at 25%. That was raised to 35% until two years ago (‘Big Media’s Value to Consumers’ LA Times). Considering that some of these companies have already reached 39% it becomes only a matter of time before they are trying to re-evaluate the laws and increase the amount of the market they are allowed to control, should the FCC allow these companies to continue to grow, and so far they have, it becomes a time bomb before all of America’s news is brought to us from one mega-corporation. Conglomerate owners and FCC chairman Powells, argue that this is not the case, and because of the publics wide range of communications outlets a monopoly is not possible and not even a big a deal. They have their points. Cable television is now in approximately 70% of American households (‘Big Media’s Value to Consumers’ LA Times). With most cable programming, subscribers get at least 55 channels. In addition access to the internet makes stories coming from all sides more and more accessible. If people are concerned with filtered news reports, they can simply turn to the World Wide Web for opposing views on current events. Two arguments do not excuse the damage and potential harm that can and could be done to American citizens and the business of media production in this country. To argue, that people should simply go to the internet for “real” and un-bias news is ridiculous. While most American families have internet access there still remains those who do not, just as there is still about 30% of them who do not have cable television. Non-cable television results in mostly news stations and public access channels, all of which can be mainstreamed and swayed, to upper opinion in an attempt to sway viewers. This is not the “American Way”. An American citizen who does ...