Broadcasting Bigness Raises Big Questions

[Commentary] The broadcasting industry is consolidating at what appears to be an accelerating pace as a result of sharply rising retrans revenue, cheap money and a permissive government. That's good because station groups need bulk to deal effectively with networks and cable and satellite operators. But consolidation may work against broadcasters who choose to stay small, industry vendors and the public. To a large degree, whether consolidation is good for the public will depend on who is doing the consolidating.