Media Synergy: What's the big deal?

The January issue of an important source of independently- derived info on the corporate side of media, Brill's Content (at "http://www.brillscontent.com"), contains a multi-faceted article on Media Synergy. And just what is media synergy? It is the conglomeration of the world's media. Big conglomerates getting even bigger, that is. And, as Brill's Content poses the question on its cover, "Is this what's ahead?" Is what ahead? On the cover is a picture of a human brain divided into five sections, representing America's largest media conglomerates: Time Warner (CNN, etc.); NewsCorp (Fox Network); Viacom/CBS; Disney (which owns ABC) and ATT.

Okay, okay, the American ones anyway. American? Isn't it true that the CEOs of these companies consider themselves citizens of the world? And isn't it also true they couldn't care less about American sovereignty? (But that's another story.)

That's the news, and here is the conclusion by Brill's, concerning whether or not Americans (you know, a so-called random sample) are "mind-controlled" by these conglomerates. In short, Brill's wants to know if freedom of speech and the press is disappearing as fewer voices are raised. In the most interesting section within this article, various Americans from various millieus, occupations and ages are tracked to find out what media, in what proportion, do they listen to/watch/read/interact with, listing the results in a pictographic "mindshare." The results? There are still plenty of news/media outlets being watched/read/interacted with/listened to by "typical" Americans either not controlled by the above conglomerates or loosely controlled (or possibly, as with EMI, a comglomerate not listed).

Then again--thank you Lord--there is the internet, which, try as the power elites might--may never be controlled or regulated as the off-line media is now.

What would my personal "Mindshare" look like? 40% internet (WorldNetDaily, Antiwar.com, Lewrockwell.com, mostly, for news); 40% SciFi channel for entertainment; 10% CNN and Fox (I watch Simpsons and X-files); 10% I write my own stuff, like what you are reading here. On the other hand, I've never measured my "mindshare", and, in fact, writing my own stuff really does take more time than I indicated. I just don't know what.

Verdict? Thanks to Brills for the article--and for right now we are still safe from total corporate media mind control. For now.

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