Trump plans to crush the US media-structure (Comcast-NBC/AT&T-Time Warner)

[ApatheticAustrian]

Donald Trump rips into possible AT&T-Time Warner deal
http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/22/media/donald-trump-att-time-warner/index.html?iid=Lead

 "As an example of the power structure I'm fighting, AT&T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN, a deal we will not approve in my administration because it's too much concentration of power in the hands of too few," Trump said during a speech on Saturday.

AT&T and Time Warner are reportedly in advanced talks about a potential deal. No acquisition has been confirmed yet, but an announcement could be imminent. (Time Warner is the parent company of CNN.)

Any merger would have to be reviewed and approved by federal antitrust regulators.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Wow. This is actually a broken clock moment.

[Blackacre]

He frames it well, but he'll use the office to limit the press in so many other ways

[psychprofessor]

Wasn't Donald the one who revoked the credentials of any news organization that published articles that he disagreed with?

Further, talk about power in the hands of too few...he hasn't held a news conference in months and only appears on Hannity.

[ApatheticAustrian]

Wow. This is actually a broken clock moment.

nothing against the thought (even while comcast doesn't really seem to influence the political direction of its companies), it's just rich to...

a) hear that point from the REPUBLICAN candidate

b) watch him single out media companies he has got a beef with.

i am pretty sure, he would also forbid mister slim to invest the NYT and amazon to own the WAPO.

[Virginiá]

Wow, something I agree with him on.

Corporate mergers are getting out of control and with the media/telecoms especially, trust busting is long overdue. At some point, preferably now, we need a president willing to begin savagely breaking corporations up.

[BaldEagle1991]

Now you know why no newspaper has ever endorsed him. He's so anti-press its scary.

[HisGrace]

If Obama talked about doing something like this the internet would blow up with people thinking it was part of his world domination plot.

Personally, I think there ought to be a "wall of separation" between the government and the inner-workings of the press, or other purveyors of information.

[ApatheticAustrian]

this is not surprising.

he is a super-big-government-statist.

but he is also driven by personal rage.....

[Person Man]

this is not surprising.

he is a super-big-government-statist.

but he is also driven by personal rage.....

This is arguably as anti-Semitic and anti-1stAmendment as it is anti-trust.

Remember, he is a National Populist, not a Conservative.

[Blackacre]

Yeah, this kind of thing is how I convince white people that Trump would be a terrifying President

[Person Man]

Yeah, this kind of thing is how I convince white people that Trump would be a terrifying President

I sense sarcasm, but why isn't he talking about breaking up anything else?

[Erich Maria Remarque]

I'm so proud of him

I really do hate mainstream media, that forgot their main duty to just report facts/news/phenomena.
This, immigration and criminal policies are the 3 cornerstones of Trump'ish age

[dspNY]

Pivoting to TrumpTV instead of winning the White House

[HisGrace]

Yeah, this kind of thing is how I convince white people that Trump would be a terrifying President

I sense sarcasm, but why isn't he talking about breaking up anything else?

He's been talking about breaking up media conglomerates as retaliation for negative coverage all through the campaign.

[ApatheticAustrian]

if he would be serious....

news corporation.

most watched cable channel + most-read newspaper and a gazillion other posessions from NYP to weekly standard.

[Blackacre]

Yeah, this kind of thing is how I convince white people that Trump would be a terrifying President

I sense sarcasm, but why isn't he talking about breaking up anything else?

Sorry, I'm not being sarcastic. Using antitrust laws to attack the media, combined with a vindictive personality that banned WaPo from covering him, equals the effective end of freedom of the press as we know it. If you wouldnt be affected by national stop and frisk, or the muslim ban, or his immigration policies, shredding the 1st Amendment is far more likely to resonate.

[Adam Griffin]

Pivoting to TrumpTV instead of winning the White House

This, of course, is what is really going on.

[Ebsy]

The problem with this strategy is, every minute Trump spends attacking the media is a minute he isn't attacking Hillary Clinton.

[Maxwell]

Wow. This is actually a broken clock moment.

Totally agreed.

[Blair]

Wasn't the Times Warner deal blocked before?

[Virginiá]

Wasn't the Times Warner deal blocked before?

That was with Comcast. If they blocked that deal, then really the DoJ should block this one as well. Telecom/media companies are already too big as it is.

[Mr. Smith]

Wow. This is actually a broken clock moment.

[PresidentSamTilden]

I saw the merger news today before Trump's statement and rolled my eyes at it. Sounds like more wealth and power for the few at the expense of the many.

[Pouring Rain and Blairing Music]

He frames it well, but he'll use the office to limit the press in so many other ways