Monday, June 29, 2026

Time For Action: Urge Your Attorney General (Stop Paramount's Mega-Media Monopoly) (UPDATED: 7/14/26)

 

<Bari Weiss (l) and Donald Trump: 
The world's oddest couple?
Spotted on Facebook, no source credited
(but we'll credit where it's due, or 
take it down, if the creator objects...>

Suggested Soundtrack: "Time For Action," Secret Affair (1979)


At Ramen Noodle Nation, we don't just copy and paste what somebody else has created. If we had a motto, it might well be, "All original, all the time," which seems only fair -- especially in an age of people being conditioned to accept whatever AI slop rolls off the algorithmic conveyer belt. It's a vow well in keeping with our punk rock heritage, where a full-on set of originals sounds more appealing than a strict set of covers ("Brown-Eyed Girl," "In The Midnight Hour," "Route 66," and so on).

But sometimes, it's just simpler to post content from a non-original source that seems relevant, and on target, as you've seen here -- especially since last winter, when we posted various appeals that offered avenues for action. So it goes with Robert Reich's suggestion on how to weigh in against the proposed Paramount-Skydance merger, which the "Justice" Department has recently approved.

Without further ado, here's Reich's post, and the specific avenue you can take to roll one more log, so to speak, against the idea:

"Paramount is on the verge of becoming the largest pro-Trump media monopoly in America. 

"Two of the nation's biggest news organizations -- CBS News and CNN -- along with CBS Entertainment (home to Stephen Colbert), Comedy Central (home to Jon Stewart), HBO (John Oliver), and TikTok (where 1 out of 5 Americans now get their news) -- are all about to become one giant mega-media monopoly under the control of Trump allies and suck-ups: multibillionaire Larry Ellison and Ellison's son, David.

"It could make Rupert Murdoch's media empire of Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post look scrupulous by comparison.

"Trump is now on the verge of having effective control over a gigantic media company.

"Billionaires are flipping media companies like playing cards. They don't give a fig for the common good, or about the producers, correspondents, journalists, and investigative reporters whose lives are being turned upside down. 

"To them, it's all about accumulating more wealth and power.

"But it's bad for the economy, bad for our democracy, and bad for America.

"All this has happened since so suddenly that most Americans still haven't even noticed the emergency of this new pro-Trump media empire all under the control of one family of Trump cronies.

"The Ellisons' new mega-media monopoly would never pass muster if America still had antitrust enforcers. Media mergers and acquisitions deserve even stricter scrutiny than normal deals. But Trump's Department of Justice is as likely to stop this deal as it is to enforce criminal laws against ICE agents.

"You know who can stop this from happening? State attorneys general. They have the power to enforce antitrust laws and sue to stop this merger. They have legal standing and necessary resources to challenge this monstrosity.

"California's attorney general, Rob Bonta, has already made clear he will take it on. We're asking every Californian to send him a message of support. And for the rest of our country, we're asking everyone to urge their state attorney general to join California's lawsuit or launch a separate lawsuit.

"This is how you can help stop this merger. Click 'START WRITING' to sign and send your message now!"

So what are we waiting for? Head over to the relevant link, and start writing:

If you're not comfortable with getting emails from the campaign sponsors mentioned below the link, you can presumably contact your state AG the old-fashioned way -- as in, writing a letter -- or using whatever email contact info they display on their website.

Either way, you should be to whip up a crisp summary of why "this monstrosity," as Reich calls it, shouldn't proceed. There are ample reasons for just saying no to the idea, starting with the obvious -- monopolies stifle competition, and slow innovation. Imagine how the '60s fiercely competitive cultural landscape would have played out if today's reality -- in which the so-called "Big Six" have now shrunk to the "Big Three" -- had taken hold then.

And, of course, why should Trump -- or any of his allies -- be allowed so much more outsized control and influence than they already enjoy? We are, in a real sense, paying the price for the mantra that accelerated during the Clinton era ("Corporations are people, too, so let big companies grow bigger").

Funny how we no longer hear that golden GOP oldie anymore about "the liberal media," once they sink their hooks into it, isn't it? Amazing how that works.

Keep in mind, the final innings haven't been played in this game yet. A coalition of state AGs is currently suing to block the settlement of the federal antitrust case involving the LiveNation-Ticketmaster merger. UK regulators have also announced plans to review the Paramount deal, and Bonta's counterpart, Letitia James, is weighing whether to join the suit. 

Time will tell how all this activity plays out, but at least it'll prevent the Paramount merger from turning into a walkover. Overdogs of all shapes and sizes thrive on cultivating an aura of invincibility and inevitability; it's a huge part of their PR shtick, so they can save the energy that it would take to actually quash some foe who put up a halfway decent fight.

Going beyond this immediate business, the need for reforming Big Tech and Big Media has never been plainer. As admirable as the state AGs' efforts have been, they shouldn't have to fill a yawning antitrust chasm that's more or less existed since the Clinton era.

And don't automatically assume that Democrats are immune from the "corporations are people, too" ethos that plagues their Republican counterparts -- as I never tire of reminding people, it was Obama's Justice Department that approved the same LiveNation-Ticketmaster merger, the one that sent Bruce Springsteen's fans into a UFO (Unanimous Fierce Outcry, not those little green men!). So what are you waiting for?

Start writing, raise your voice now, and let it be heard, while you crank up some classic Secret Affair. Because -- as the song says -- this is the time, the time for action, time to be seen. --The Reckoner




Links To Go: (Hurry, Hurry,
Before Dr. Evil & Company Buy The Entire Media Landscape!)

Block The Merger: The Open Letter:

Mediate: "I'm Not Working For You Hacks!":
Kara Swisher Vows To Leave CNN If The Ellisons Buy It:
The Wrap: Kara Swisher Doubles Down...:
https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/kara-swisher-plans-to-leave-cnn-ellisons/


UPDATE (7/14/26): Twelve states, led by California and New York, are now banding to challenge the mega-merger, which is also drawing askance looks across the pond, too, in the UK (at last report). Obviously, from a distance, this move seems like the longest of long shots.

However, given the healthy skepticism from the federal branch of anything with Trump's fingerprints on it -- or those of his cronies, like the Ellisons -- I'd say that it stands a fair chance. At a minimum, it will slow down the momentum, and who knows? Maybe some smoking gun piece of evidence will emerge to throw the whole project into chaos.

We can only hope, but for now, let's keep the momentum going, and keep the pressure on, as these links show:

PBS Newshour:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/12-states-challenge-paramounts-takeover-of-warner-say-merger-would-extinguish-competition

Yahoo Finance:
<Secret Affair's lead singer, Ian Page,
 keeps it up close 'n' personal:
  "Time For Action" video (YouTube capture)>

...They can laugh in our face
'Cause we know we're right
Looking good's the answer,
And living by night...


So take me to your leader,
Because it's time you realised...


...That this is the time
This is the time for action (time for action)
This is the time to be seen (time to be seen)...


This is the time for action,
Time to be seen...

To Be Continued...


<YouTube capture> 

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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 29, 2026 at 9:12 AM

    I stopped watching national news years ago all the crap is OWNED. Wow they are centralizing the ownership even more so. Why believe anything they tell us anymore?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ramen Noodle NationJune 29, 2026 at 1:34 PM

    Well, I think one of the major differences between today's era, and the media landscape of 30 years ago, is that there's so much more money for the overclass to toss around, though I don't recall as many attempts to reshape it, by buying it outright. The hostile takeover attempt of CNN, to bend it more along right-wing lines, was one prominent example -- and, on the flipside, the persistent campaigns to defund PBS -- but I don't recall a lot of them. Back then, though, it was only about tens of millions -- these days, the stakes are literally in the billions, which is why the Ellisons can't be allowed to add established names like "60 Minutes" to their Monopoly game board.

    Obviously, the state AGs' promised suit is a long shot, but one that's well worth a try -- and what's done can always be undone later. I'm convinced the Democrats need to unleash their inner Teddy Roosevelt -- and push to break up these massive mega-bullies, or "trusts," as they were called, in his time. Such moves might win over more independents, and at least a few MAGA Republicans, who are just as skeptical about the notion of one or two people having so much concentrated power in their hands.

    And also, as I said above, we need a fresh approach to antitrust laws, and their enforcement. We came somewhat closer during the Biden era, when he named Lina Khan to run the FTC. She'd made a name for herself, as a skeptic of corporate power -- and had begun making some inroads to try reining it in, until the Trump Restoration ended all that. My hope is that the pendulum will swing back that way, after all the tidal wave of corruption that Trump and his acolytes have unleashed -- because even the dimmest of the dim now seem to understand that it's nothing but bad news for all of us. Thanks for writing! --The Reckoner

    ReplyDelete

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