Main Stream Media Less Local, Less Relevent, Less truthful
by ItalianBred - January 2, 2009 5:20pm
There is a small contingent in Worcester that is very concerned with media ownership and the ability of all citizens to have equal access to media. What does it mean to have equal access? Access is not simply about the ability to go out and purchase a daily news paper, listen to a radio or pay to sit home and watch cable TV or browse the internet. Equal access to the tools, resources, facilities, and means of distribution ( and or transmission ) of content, what ever content the user chooses to share. Some may say the Internet provides that capacity. Does it really? Can every person afford DSL, a computer? Even if one could afford it, it does that mean that everyone would have time to spend on line or time to write or time to produce a radio or TV show? As more media enterprises converge there are less opportunities for citizen participation. Technology can provide a resource however there is less broad based forums that canvas coverage of views of what is happening available at an at large glance. You may be able to find what you are looking for on line, however, there is, without television or broadcast radio, other information that may be important or of interest to you that you will miss. There is less local voices, less local commentary, less awareness and knowledge of how and why government, business, community activities effect us and what it means to our day to day lives. There will be less connecting us all. As we lose ourselves in small packet communities. There may also be a potential for increased disparity in most everything in life.
Todays T&G ran an associated press story about how, in Los Angeles, programmer Viacom and Time Warner Cable agreed on compensation that preserved access for the cable system operator’s 15.7 million subscribers to Dora’s Nickelodeon network, MTV and 17 other channels. The two sides, citing disagreement over fee hikes, had threatened a damaging blackout at a minute past midnight yesterday that would have cut off shows such as “Dora the Explorer,” “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “The Colbert Report” for Time Warner Cable customers.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Details must still be finalized over the next few days, the companies said. Wrote Ryan Nakashima THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.
Interesting how the possible loss of Dora the Explora or Spongebob gets the news. In the same city, Los Angeles, according to this post on WCCA TV’s website Time Warner, through a state franchise loop hole had no problem getting the city council to allow some fourteen public access stations to be shut down.
In the age of oligarchy, the FCC has relaxed regulations in favor of the huge media giants such as Time Warner. The result? Hey of the same irrelevant crap on TV and less public access / community media. Today it’s cable programming tomorrow it will be the internet. Opportunities for blogs like this and others, public access /community media on line will be gone. Everything you read or informs you electronically will be controlled by a very small group of very rich individuals. Perpetuating the dismal foreign and economic policies which remain in place only to serve the interest of the very rich, while those who work are left to bear the burden for all the rest of it: the bailouts and America’s growing wellfare system. Every new day we find more people overly stressed,suffering, working more hours, earning dollars worth less and less. We are living in a modern day bondage. Giving way to escalating and spiraling violence, hatred, resentment, distrust, and jealousy. This is an environment where mind dumbing and dumbing down is really useful for those who are on top. Bring on SpongeBob, Deal or No Deal, reruns of Seinfield. The rest of us can GO BACK TO SLEEP knowing that all you will know, all that you will need to know, is what the oligarchy allows you to know. AP stories like Ryan’s will be sure to keep you in the loop. Isn’t the Time Warners or the Verizons of this world wonderful, you get to watch SpongeBob or strain your eyes watching a footbal game or a batman movie on your 3 inch cell phone for just under $100 a month, so there’s YOUR access. Distracted, losing our dignity as we are drawn to that little lite up screen metamorphosing into fucking insects. Yeah go ahead keep voting for those same politician’s working for the interest of mega corporations in office.
Ponder this while watching, reading or listening to mindless irrelevant talk show anger slingers on national radio, infomercials and home shopping on cable and reruns on the Disney Channel:
According to Stop Big Media, Racial and ethnic minorities make up 33 percent of the U.S. population and yet they only own
7.7 percent of full-power radio stations and 3.26 percent of television stations
Here is more Top five media ownership moments of 2008
I’m glad we have that small contingent in Worcester who works at maintaining some venues for our voices.