...is that the value of newspapers and most broadcast properties have been sinking since the rise of the internet a decade ago and this is a desperation move by the corporates to try to stop the bleeding in the loss of assets and rising debts, but it...as all "dereg" ideas are very short-sighted.

As more and more people turn to the internet and other sources for information and entertainment, the corporates control has lessened greatly as has the values of their properties. Most of these corporates saw the bottom fall out on their artificially high stock prices and have been struggling to recoup their previous position. In short...the clock is ticking on newspapers and the large broadcast chains as billions of dollars in debt needs to be addressed and soon. They think the old game of more "dereg" being the fix to their short-term financial messes won't fly this time...