[Pinkbell]

Here’s the worst part: Since Time Warner owns CNN, this could have hugely perilous effects on our news environment and your ability to choose what to watch. It’s not hard to see how AT&T could discriminate against other channels – including conservative voices – by putting them in a bad spot on your channel line-up and trying to make their shows hard to find.   The AT&T/Time Warner combo could easily ensure that CNN is more accessible to consumers than competitors like Fox – to further increase CNN’s power to push their liberal agenda.

Or, just like with entertainment networks, they could basically refuse to even carry smaller conservative channels like One America News, Newsmax, or The Blaze. DirecTV, in fact, only agreed to carry OAN and Newsmax this year after they announced their merger and thought it would be worth trying to buy off potential critics – and they still don’t carry The Blaze. CNN’s actions are already, in a word, deplorable – the mainstream media doesn’t need any help in limiting access to viewpoints it doesn’t like.

Should Trump block the merger? I have read rumblings that Jeff Zucker may be in jeopardy at CNN if the merger goes through. Since he's responsible for their network being Dem propaganda and the continual Russia coverage (per the O'Keefe videos) while they continue to falsely claim nonpartisanship, he certainly would not be missed.

[plain talk]

If CNN is a concern then the feds could require CNN be spun off as a condition of the merger. Often these kind of deals are not just fully accepted or fully rejected.

[McGavin999]

I think if they spin off certain parts of Time Warner it might be OK. I do think some of these things require regulation despite my natural abhorrence to regulation. I’m not worried about us finding conservative channels, we will find them

I think they should sell CNN to a group of conservative investors (Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and someone with deep pockets). I also think they need to either sell Direct TV or HBO

[Alberta's Child]

This merger should be blocked for a whole host of reasons. Federal anti-trust law is meaningless if a multi-media and multi-format conglomerate like this — or even the two companies separately as they are now constituted — is allowed to exist.

[jeffc]

AT&T ruin anything they touch.
Their cell phone service has been spotty for years with no improvement. They're still peddling DSL at 6 meg/sec BW (since 2000!!!) and do not expand service in the areas they "control".

I wish they'd go away...

[Wuli]

Accepted excessive vertical integration in an industry is no less than legalized collusion to minimize competition.

There is already too much of this in the cable TV industry alone.

One example: Comcast is a cable-telecom outfit, with a unit of the company that has the largest stake in negotiating about and distributing advertising, not just within its own system but all across the cable and broadcast TV spectrum. True antitrust would have already made it separate that unit from the parent company.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks so much for your support to this point... I personally apprecaite it...
FReepers, it's far beyond time to wrap up this FReep-a-thon.  Lets do it today.  Please chip in.

President Donald J. Trump and the Free Republic of the United States of America
President Donald J. Trump's address to the United Nations on 09/19/2017.

Ramirez political cartoon:  Sanctuary State LARGE VERSION 09/21/2017: LINK  LINK to regular sized versions of his political cartoons (archive).
Garrison political cartoon:  Good Boy LARGE VERSION 09/22/2017: LINK  LINK (scroll down) to regular sized versions of his political cartoons (archive).


Please join the monthlies, an automated and the best way to help support Free Republic.  If you opt not to join the automated monthly support program, please consider joining the One One Done project.  LINK

FReepers, 98.21% of the Third Quarter FReep-a-thon goal has been met.  Click above and pencil in your donation now.  Please folks, lets end this FReepathon.  Thank you!
...this is a general all-purpose message, and should not be seen as targeting any individual I am responding to...

Just $694.00 dollars to 99.00%