Long-held restrictions aimed at ensuring that the public airwaves and the print media are not completely dominated by a small number of powerful interests have been set aside. Now these protections are giving way to an unbridled passion for deregulation. This will allow the Viacom media conglomerate, which already owns CBS, to buy into the UPN cable network. FCC Chairman Michael Powell says he will drop the long-standing rule prohibiting a company from owning both newspaper and broadcast outlets in a single market. And Rupert Murdoch, whose international media empire includes cable networks, newspapers, and publishing houses, is negotiating to buy DirectTV, America's largest satellite broadcaster.
Some industry analysts foresee only one or two gigantic megacorporations.
Yet democracy depends on the open exchange of information and ideas. We may soon find out. Today , voters are expected to return Silvio Berlusconi, the former prime minister, to office. Mr. Berlusconi controls all three of Italy's private TV networks, along with newspapers, magazines, and the country's largest publishing group. Several of these news outlets have dropped all pretense of objectivity and are openly beating the drum for their boss.