Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Megalopoly Media Monopolies Usher in US Pravda Media Consolidation, Nth Degree. William Safire's important column the other day on "Media Giantism" gets at only part of the problem. He may not... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal] And this, at the end of the William Saffire column on "Media Giantism": Does this make me (gasp!) pro-regulation? Michael Powell, appointed by Bush to be F.C.C. chairman, likes to say "the market is my religion." My conservative economic religion is founded on the rock of competition, which ? since Teddy Roosevelt's day ? has protected small business and consumers against predatory pricing leading to market monopolization. One of the Democrats on the F.C.C., Michael Copps, is concerned that "we're relying on institutions to cover this debate which have interests in the outcome of the debate." That inherent conflict of interest is why I have long been banging my spoon against the highchair. Republicans in the House, intimidated by the powerful broadcast lobby, don't admit that some regulation can be pro-business; neither does the D.C. Court of Appeals, which wants further "granulating of evidence" that endless merging harms competition. In the Senate, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, grasps this. Perhaps Commerce Chairman John McCain will see T.R.'s trust-busting light and start heavy granulating in hearings ? before merger mania afflicts TV and film the way it is debilitating local radio.  11:50:29 PM    Comment []

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