Wednesday, August 8, 2018
A closer look at the series of media mergers, and how they impact what you watch. Mike Collins talks with NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik.
The wave of mergers crashing over the media landscape has now reached Charlotte. Raycom Media, owner of the Carolinas' oldest television station, WBTV, agreed in June to merge with a Georgia-based company to create the nation's third-largest television broadcaster. And in late July, Cox Media Group, which owns WSOC-TV, began exploring a sale of its TV stations.
Those deals aren't as high-profile - or expensive - as the proposed merger of Time Warner and AT&T, which the Trump Administration is trying to block, or the controversial combination of Tribune and Sinclair, which has abruptly run into opposition at the FCC.
The consolidation spree coincides with deregulation by the Republican-led FCC, which last year eased limits on station ownership.
What effect does all this have on what you watch, from local TV to streaming?
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David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent (@davidfolkenflik)