As much as I loathe local TV news, multi-station braodcasters replacing local newscasts with corporation-produced broadcasts is even more loathesome.
This is logical outcome of Congress’s and the FCC’s mad dash to concentration in the media business, as surely as are robot radio stations . What’s staggering is that Michael Powell could present this as anything other than bad for America. The only reasons for concentration are increasing ad rates by lowering competition and lowering costs by ceasing whatever minimal production is going on locally.
The real tragedy is that we have to fight for the protection of such unwholesome fare as the local newscast or ABC’s overrated Nightline.
[Thanks, Mediageek, for this depressing link!]