All of the Alito coverage has masked other consequential news, such as this.
Reuters reports that CBS and TimeWarner have agreed to scrap UPN and WB broadcast networks and merge them to form a new network called CW, reportedly launching this fall. Whether you like UPN and WB offerings or not, it means less choice and a furthering of media consolidation that can only contine to pose a danger to our democracy.
UPDATE:An earlier Reuters report also describes the merger. Yet both fail to mention that former CBS parent Viacom recently shed CBS, and that Sumner Redstone continues to hold controlling interests in both CBS and Viacom. (Thanks to kosmopolitans Viktor and davybaby.)
Both reports also, curiously enough, omit the reporters names.
But the first story I reference says this:
U.S. television viewers will have one less commercial broadcast network to choose from next fall, as the struggling WB and UPN networks merge to form a single new entity aimed at capturing younger viewers.
The new CW network, to launch in September 2006, will be a 50-50 joint venture of UPN parent company CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc., which controls the WB.
Tribune Co., which holds a minority stake in the WB, will not have any ownership interest in the newly merged broadcaster,...
...
The companies expect the newly merged network to reach 95 percent of the country.
Tribune said its 16 UPN broadcast stations signed 10-year affiliate agreements with the new network. Similarly, CBS said its 12 UPN stations signed 10-year affiliate deals.
The two station groups reach 48 percent of the country. The companies expect the remainder of the affiliates for the new network to come from a combination of WB and UPN stations.
According to the Columbia Journalism Review, The Tribune Co. currently owns 26 local broadcast stations in the biggest markets, including two in Seattle, two in Indianapolis, two in Hartford, Conn., and two in New Orleans. Viacom already owns more than the general 35% ownership cap.
On Viacom, a CJR timeline gives a good indication of the media power already in the hands of one controlling entity:
1999 (September, 7) - Viacom and CBS announce merger. The $50 billion deal, the largest media merger of the time, comes one month after the FCC gives approval to duopolies. The new Viacom has 33 television stations which eclipse the FCC's 35 % ownership cap. The cap is based on the amount of stations one company owns that reach 35% or more of the nation's television households.
...
2001 - United States Court of Appeals, DC Circuit gives Viacom temporary approval to exceed the 35% ownership cap
2001 - Viacom completes $3 billion deal for BET Inc.
2002 - Viacom completes acquisition of KCAL-TV (Los Angeles) from Young Broadcasting Inc. for $650 million. The deal forms a Viacom duopoly in Los Angeles raising the number of markets where it owns two broadcast stations to eight.
2003 - [Viacom subsidiary] Infinity Broadcasting owns and operates 185 radio stations, second in size to only Clear Channel Communications. Viacom Outdoor is the largest outdoor advertising entity in North America. Viacom Television Stations Group owns and operates 39 TV stations.
2004 - After years of internal battles with Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone, Mel Karmazin, resigns as the company's chief operating officer. Karmazin was formely the president and CEO of CBS
Further reduced choice, more consolidation, more "duopolies," less independent voices, less input, less democracy. It's past time to repeal the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
UPDATE: Viktor and davybaby, as I've mentioned above, correctly point out that Viacom no longer owns CBS, that they are two separate companies as of the first of this year. Both also provide links in order to demonstrate that. The suggestion seems to be that they are no longer affiliated. While it may be true that they split their investment profile in two, a Viacom press release at one of the links Viktor provides gives very strong indications that the two are still very much working together. As Viktor pointed out Redstone still holds controlling interests in both Viacom and CBS. So, while Viacom may not "own" CBS any longer, it appears that their separation was purely for investment purposes - to shield Redstone and other investors from poor performance of one from the other. They may have changed some brand names, but there appears to be no competition between them in any meaningful way.
Read the press release from the "New" Viacom Inc.:
Viacom Completes Separation Into CBS Corporation and "New" Viacom
NEW YORK, January 1, 2006 —Viacom Inc. has completed the transaction to separate the Company into two publicly traded entities: CBS Corporation and “New” Viacom Inc. Shares of the two new companies will commence trading on the New York Stock Exchange on January 3, 2006, under the symbols: “CBS.A’’ (CBS Corporation Class A Common Stock) and ‘‘CBS’’ (CBS Corporation Class B Common Stock) and ‘‘VIA’’ (Viacom Inc. Class A Common Stock) and ‘‘VIA.B’’ (Viacom Inc. Class B Common Stock). The transaction to separate Viacom’s businesses was announced in June 2005.
CBS Corporation is comprised of CBS Television Network, UPN, CBS Radio, Viacom Outdoor, Viacom Television Stations Group, Paramount Television, King World, Simon & Schuster, Showtime and Paramount Parks. CBS Corporation will also include the operations of CSTV: Networks, Inc., a leading sports television network and digital media company devoted exclusively to college athletics, an acquisition expected to close in early January 2006.
Viacom Inc. is comprised of MTV Networks (MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, TV Land and many other networks around the world), BET, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment and Famous Music. Viacom Inc. has also entered into an agreement to acquire DreamWorks SKG, a leading motion picture and television production studio, and an exclusive, worldwide distribution agreement with DreamWorks Animation (NYSE: DWA). The acquisition of Dreamworks SKG is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2006 and the worldwide distribution agreement will become effective at the time the acquisition is completed. More information about Viacom is available at www.viacom.com.