Comments
by Bob Brandon....
Disney has taken your ABC television station away
from you! The words glared ominously on a plain blue screen at three
and a half million TimeWarner Cable customers who were going into severe
Regis withdrawal. It's incredible to even consider that TW would
pull the plug.
The FCC was quite disturbed
by the entire episode. You see, historically, broadcasters have served
in the Public interest. In theory, that meant you put the concerns
of the audience above everything else...including profits.
In the days before cable,
the cost to use the public's airwaves was public service. Coincidentally,
the current concentration of mega corporations we have today were not allowed.
There were strict limits on numbers of stations, crossownership of newspapers
or other media. The worry was one group could control all the information,
thus neutering Freedom of Speech. Thankfully, businessmen are much
too mature to try to gain a monopoly in these modern times.
But back to the brawl.
We have two of the largest entertainment comglomerates publicly calling
each other naughty names. They couldn't agree on how many hundreds
of millions to paid by Time Warner to Disney, for the rights to carry ABC's
hot programming lineup.
So TW broke the rules and
suspended the telecasts during the important Spring sweeps. Those
39 lost hours in 11 large cities could potentially be blamed for costing
ABC millions in lost revenue. If you're not on the air, you can't
run commercials.
In response to the blackout,
ABC thumbed it's nose at TmeWarner by offering a $198 rebate to certain
cable customers who want to switch to satellite television in full-page
newspaper ads in New York City, Houston and Los Angeles.
TimeWarner reacted by calling
Disney "a hostile, cynical and out-of-control company."
Back at ABC headquarters,
spokeswoman Julie Hoover countered: "We categorically deny being hostile
or out-of-control, and we are undecided about cynical."
Barbara Walters, Drew Carey
and all the rest are back on now thanks to a temporary agreement.
But this little spat is far from over. Once the AOL/TimeWarner merger
is approved, the battlelines will spread to your browser. Disney
is also a major player already through its Go.com properties and other
interests. And now AOL controls NetScape, and it's flashy new browser,
along with millions of chatters and instant message devotees.
I've said it before, and
once again, it is becoming more apparent: there are forces at work
that could fundamentally change your Internet experience. The venerable
World Wide Web could be left in the dust if these big money machines capture
a large enough audience. A parallel proprietory network masquerading
as the web could easily control your time spent online, guiding you only
to approved sites, feeding you approved information, selling you approved
products.
Take a look at the new Netpliance
I-Opener. It's a nifty little $99 toy that hooks you up for only
$21.95 a month. It's great if you're say a little old lady who has
never used anything more complicated than an electric can opener.
You're routed to the approved screen, to choose from the approved choices.
It's sorta like surfing the net, if you've never done it before.
It's just another example
of what happens when MBAs tackle a concept: Let's see how we can
wring some profit out of this thing. Let's see if we can pervert
and distort the technology to do our bidding, and bring us more victims,
er customers.
This little temper tantrum
thrown by these guys is just the beginning. As your telephone, PDA,
PC,TV and even your car, learn to talk to each other, there's going
to be an explosion of overlapping territories.
It's possible all the extra
competition will lead to more realiable and widespread service, along with
lower prices. Or, as will probably happen, it'll be another way big
business will get into your wallet.
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