Corporate Ownership
Corporate Ownership This Spectrum, Northwest Broadcasting debacle has brought an underlying problem in our community to the forefront. The ownership by one company of all the broadcast tv stations in a market. First of all, here in Yuma, all tv stations are owned by one company. That is good for the company. Northwest can centralize all aspects of their operation. The administrative, editorial, operations, advertising, and personnel elements are all in one building. Newspapers have been doing it since the 1950's. That is good for the company, but not good for viewers, or the community. Total ownership gives Northwest unfair leverage in the market, with respect to ad rates, talent pay, and licensing rights. Which is where we are now. Northwest has the power to dictate to consumers what they watch, and if they don't get their way, consumers pay the price. That is an unfair advantage that is part and parcel of owning all tv stations in a market. Another is edito...