And You Thought Local TV Was just Local TV

Not with corporate concentration it isn't. And Sinclair Broadcast Group is certainly aware of that, now that they are in the process of buying Tribune Media; which, as John Oliver points out on Last Week Tonight (via Digg), would give the new entity a combined viewership of approximately 2 million.

The free flow of information is essential to a working, thriving, Democracy. That our Democracy is at least somewhat lacking in these regards currently ought to be reason enough to be concerned. Going into the future, however, if you aren't a great deal more than just concerned, you're probably highly unlikely to be reading this in the first place, and it's already too late for you.

The far right of current political thought certainly has a right to express its opinions. That's the point of having a free flow of ideas, to get the full range of diversity possible, because you can never know exactly where the odd, new, and quite possibly excellent, idea might come from. The problem arises, of course, when the intent is to provide only your set of ideas, at the exclusion, to the greatest degree possible, of other, competing ideas. And that is precisely the very definite risk you take when you allow concentrated ownership of media.

You only need to listen to the commentary that Sinclair pushes out to its stations to get a feel for how chilling it would be to have that sort of thing be the predominant, persistent, messaging that Americans get.

You may not fully appreciate it yet, but this is also one of those ticking clocks you ignore at your peril.

John Oliver Sheds Light On The Behemoth Lurking Behind America's Local News