Tonight's Bill Moyers 'NOW' show had two journalists who wrote a book called 'Our Media, Not Theirs'. Its premise is that the media, the art and necessity of information gathering and transmitting, have always belonged to the people, not to the powers, but that has changed and is reflected in the laws and regulations.

For instance, by FCC regulation no one company could own more than 8 radio outlets in a large community, and the numbers went down from there. Therefore there were many different viewpoints and competing philosophies. Now, with regulations either nonexistent or so lax they may as well be, a single owner may own as many as 1200(!)stations. The same thing is true of newspapers. Fewer and fewer people own more and more of the things that inform us.

Next week the subject explored will be Civil Liberties, under the new regimen.