Media moguls boast of "free" Internet's end

Media execs got together at a conference in Pasadena last week. Neckties flowed, and caviar was probably chomped.

The point of this shinding for the elite? It was to talk about how the Internets (sic) isn't the free medium that they think that we think it is.

One media head honcho said of the ol' 'Net, "It is not free, and is not going to be." They bragged that anyone who uses the Internet is soon going to have to pay for every website they use.

Well, guess what? We're already paying for it. What do you think we pay $20 to $50 a month for? Cosmetic surgery? I should think not.

These wealthy media companies used to have to pay for radio and TV licenses and pay to fight for space on the TV dial. Now, because of the Internet, they don't have to spend nearly as much to distribute their content. Yet they expect us to pay more?

If the Walt Disney Company or News Corp. can't find a better business model, then it's not going to work out for them in the long run. Free content will continue to rule - and most of it will be better than the corporate "news" the big media companies offer.

(Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZeenjkAYFIE)