Are media conglomerates good?

In class we had a debate on wether media conglomertaes were good or bad for our society? In my view they are both. A conglomerate is a large company that owns many froms of media text, like Viacom. Not only does it own many televison stations but it owns publishing companys, and a website. In a way Viacom is taking different semotic domains a putting them together in a way that makes them more aviable to people. They take information that is both similar and different and put it all in one place for people to find. Conglomerates own many compaines that produce things a well and a lot of those are small companys that without the help would not be able to stay afloat. If we didnt have conglomerates in our society we would be bombared with so much information coming form so many differenct sources that we would not be able to find just what we needed. We would have to look in many places instead of just one. But if you look at how conglomerates are controling the flow of media in our world that could be a very bad thing. We are only giving the information that they deme important. Then you have to think that what one conglomerate demes unimportant another conglomerate might say that it is very important.