The two biggest cable companies in the United States are attempting to join forces as Comcast is trying to buy Time Warner Cable for a cool $45.2 billion. The deal is likely to face a yearlong approval process involving the FCC and either the Department of Justice or the Federal Trade Commission. Needless to say, customers and regulators aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of having even less options on the cable provider front. And while Glenn is certainly not a fan of government regulation, he did question the merger on radio this morning.
“Man, am I torn because I am not for getting involved in anybody's business. And whatever companies want to do, companies should do. Let them succeed on their own or collapse under their own weight. When an industry has to run to Congress and say, ‘Oh, help, help, help, help, help,’ that's a sign that that industry is about to collapse,” Glenn said. “Right now, Comcast is trying to buy Time Warner, which makes them gigantic. And I don't have a problem. As Mike Rowe said, there is nothing inherently bad with being big. There's nothing inherently bad with being small. It's just where you are. And survive on your own merit.”
Regardless of how you feel about the future of cable. There are obviousl concerns about further limiting the number of options available. Last month, TheBlaze released a video that shows a very select group of people control what you see on TV:
TheBlaze’s CEO, Chris Balfe, was quoted in a Variety article expressing his concerns about what the merger could mean for independent voices:
“As monopolies in the markets that they serve, cable companies often ignore their subscribers’ wishes,” said Chris Balfe, the company’s CEO. “Major MVPDs do not have a good history of supporting independent programmers whose content is in demand like TheBlaze and we are skeptical that giving Comcast even more market power will benefit consumers, promote competition or lead to more diversity of voices or consumer choice on their channel line ups.”
Neither Comcast nor Time Warner has added TheBlaze to their channel lineups despite your persistent calls and emails. Glenn suggested now might be a good time to remind these providers you would like to see TheBlaze added.
“Comcast is one of the bigger pains in the neck for TheBlaze… Companies can run the way they want… I don't think there's a problem with calling up Comcast now and saying, ‘Hey, I hear you guys are going up in front of congressional hearings because you don't listen to your people. And there's really no balance… Have you guys thought about carrying TheBlaze?’ I just think that it would be an opportunity to remind them. Like right now, there seems to be an opportunity.”
You can learn more about how to get TheBlaze by visiting GetTheBlaze.com. You can also call 1.800.996.BLAZE to be connected to your TV provider directly.
“There's no such thing as too big to fail. People will fail because they suck, no matter how big they are. If they suck and government does not create special favors for them, then there's nothing natural stop them from failing,” Glenn concluded. “U.S. out of my business, out of my bedroom, out of other people's business that might be my competitor. Get out of our way. That's really the message. That's the message to Washington.”