The FOX news affiliate in Las Vegas (KVVU) now has McDonald's product placement right smack in the middle of news programming.

The consolidation of our broadcast stations into large conglomerates, like that of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, means that it's more difficult to tell when they are doing something they shouldn't be, like putting McDonald's iced coffee in front of newscasters.

Who's going to call them out? The other broadcast station, also owned by a large media conglomerate, that is or has plans to do the same thing?

If most of us are getting our news from hundreds of outlets, but they are owned by only a handful of corporations, the watchdog media has morphed into an excited lapdog for wealthy special interests.

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I did not think it was possible to shame Rupert Murdoch, but I was wrong.  Murdoch today canceled a Fox special on O.J. Simpson's shameless book, "If I Did It,Here's How It Happened" which was described as Simpson's account of how he would have pulled off a double murder of his wife and her friend, if, of course, he had been guilty of such a heinous crime.

The book also seems to be dead, as ReganBooks, also owned by Murdoch's News Corp, pulled out of the publishing deal, as well.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11101  

I suspect it went something like this, "O.J., we've got a really sweet deal lined up for you. You write your book, If I Did It, and our parent company News Corp. can not only publish your book under HarperCollins, the publishing company we own, but Fox Broadcasting, the TV network we own can promote your book with a two-part, two-hour TV interview, which we can broadcast on all of our100+ Fox-affiliated TV stations!"

When news broke that the Fox Network was to be airing a two-hour interview with O.J. Simpson to promote his book, in which he outlines how he would have murdered his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman if he did it, I was filled with repugnance and an irresistible urge to shake my fist, hard.

Apparently, I wasn't alone -- it wasn't long before angry messages from the public started flooding the offices of local Fox-affiliates around the country. So much so, that some of these local affiliate stations spoke up to the national conglomerate, saying, "Discussion of such a subject is just harmful and disrespectful, and we cannot understand the need for such content to be produced and broadcast", and "Our company feels very strongly that there is no beneficial interest to the airing of this program except to O.J. Simpson, and we have no desire to benefit O.J. Simpson," and one more, "We're getting sworn at a lot by viewers." Word.