The Straight Dope 02/27/2004

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 02/27/2004

Dear Cecil:

I often hear that there are only five or six major
corporations that control almost all of the U.S. media
outlets, but I've never seen a list. When one thinks of
AM and FM radio, network and cable television, the
Internet as well as newspapers and magazines, can this
really be true? General Electric, Clear Channel, Rupert
Murdoch, and the Corporation for Pubic Broadcasting come
to mind, but who else might complete the list?
--A.J., Wisconsin 

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Cecil replies:

Uh, A.J.? It's public broadcasting, not pubic broadcasting.
(Chronic problem in this business.) You're right that the
mass media are basically a playground for big corporations,
but there are way more than five or six. The online list
maintained by the Columbia Journalism Review currently
includes 45 firms, ranging from Viacom and Time Warner to
outfits most people have never heard of--e.g. A.H. Belo,
owner of the Dallas Morning News. Make no mistake, these
companies are huge--Belo, for one, takes in $1.4 billion a
year and owns or operates eight print outlets, 20 TV
stations, and ten cable news channels. But 45 companies
sharing the U.S. media pie is a lot different from slicing
it up into just half a dozen pieces.

Hold on, you say. Everybody knows that the companies at
the very top control a disproportionate share of what
mainstream America sees and hears.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040227.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

If I ever win the California lottery I'll have the option
to receive the jackpot in either one lump sum or in 26
annual payments. Which is better? I figure it depends on
the current jackpot. If the sum is below $26 million I
choose cash value. If it is equal to or above $26 million
I choose annual payments. My logic is this: If the jackpot
is $26 million or above I'm guaranteed at least one million
a year (before tax). If it's less than $26 million then
I'll choose the lump sum and receive the cash value, which
is estimated to be half of the jackpot. That way I'm sure
to see some serious money. Make sense? Depending on the sum
of the jackpot, which is better, cash value or annual
payments? Also, could you advise me as to the best number
combinations to pick (five numbers between 1 and 47 and one
"mega" number between 1 and 27)?  Thank you, Cecil - I'll be
sure to cut you in on a piece of the swag if my winning
numbers come up.  - Eggi

SDSTAFF Dex replies:

If we knew how to pick winning numbers, kid, we wouldn't
be writing these reports, we'd be enjoying life on South
Seas cruises.

The question of which is better, cash value or annual
payments, doesn't depend on the jackpot amount; it
depends on how the annual payments are set up -- in
particular, the the rate of interest used to compute the
payment amount. Since lottery rules are different in
every state, I'm going to provide a general overview that
works in every state, and caution you about what might be
different in particular lotteries.

First, some terms.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mlottery.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 05/14/1976

Dear Cecil:

While I was munching on a slab of Juicy Fruit today, two
questions filtered from mouth to mind: who invented the
stuff, anyway? And what's it made of? --G.A., Baltimore

Dear G.:

The chewing gum habit goes back to the Indians, actually.
Such a deal: they give us gum, tobacco, and Manhattan
island; we give them firewater, syphilis, and Frank
Sinatra. Oh well.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_345.html
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