The Best Case Against Media Consolidation

When the CEO of the second largest chain of radio stations in America decided to ban the Dixie Chicks from his airwaves because of political remarks one of the group’s mambers made, the Chicks’ airplay vanished. “The downside of media consolidation is that we now allow a few people’s overreaction to become policy. It opens up a very dangerous can of worms. In this case, one of the CEOs decided he wanted to make a statement. . . . But consolidation means that group ownership can do anything it wants . . . .”