We Want Media

Through all of my studies of the media, more often than not I am reading or hearing about the evil of media conglomeration. Some say fewer voices will be heard if the media is in the power of a few, especially those that are focused on making money more than disseminating news. But in the cases of stations that are geared towards television entertainment and not news service, conglomeration can be a very wise decision for the companies and the public.

A couple weeks ago The WB, owned by Warner Brothers Entertainment, and UPN, owned by CBS Corporation, announced that they would combine into one station later in the year, the CW. Both networks are not turning a profit, and this will hopefully be a cost cutting measure as now each company only has to endure half the financial responsibility.

And thank god they are doing it. The networks sucked due to their week show lineups, featuring such bombs as Girlfriends, Related, and Twins (if you haven’t heard of these shows, don’t worry you are not alone). It seems like most of the filler shows will be thrown in the trash where they belong and the highest rated shows from each station will stay. Not only is this a wise decision in a cost-cutting measure, but it also gives one hope that maybe another network will be able to compete with the big four (NBA, ABC, CBS, FOX). In turn this may actually give the other four networks something to worry about, whereas The WB and UPN were always a joke by themselves. In a sense, this conglomeration may make for a more even playing field (although with two of the players becoming one). Two week entities by themselves are making a go for it together, and perhaps they can turn the corner and give the public what they want—good television. We’ll see in September.