FCC rules have changed to allow more conglomerate ownership of a multitude of television and radio stations, taking more decision-making away from local and independent managers. The obvious fear is that decisions will be made on motives to please the corporate headquarters, avoid controversy, and obtain promotions. Such trepidation may be well founded. It is certainly difficult to believe that a single management can responsibly and beneficially handle these very different cultures. CBS has been left with an aging audience, poor ratings, and abysmal loss of prestige.
More complex relationships come with larger corporations.
A potential lawsuit and the risk of losing billions of dollars can become a major factor in television's journalistic decisions, as CBS recently demonstrated with their controversial suppression of a story on the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation. While perhaps shielding news organizations from major lawsuits that would disable and discourage smaller organizations, a large conglomerate might also be a tempting target for controversial and just as well financed organizations. A son of the CBS owner was one of two tobacco owners who were scheduled for primary investigation in connection with their Congressional testimony as the vote for merger with Westinghouse was set to take place. Now, CBS is ready to merge with Viacom. Viacom is the company that brings you Beavis and Butthead, MTV, VH1, Howard Stern, and WWF Smackdown.