Did we ever think that the current manifestation of media "competition" was healthy for democracy?

And do we really think the situation is going to change anytime soon? In today's New York Times, William Safire does a pretty good job of updating Ben Bagdikian's "Media Monopoly" theory; specifically pointing to the fact that - despite protests of how their content is being undermined by the internet - the top twenty web sites by traffic are, unsurprisingly, owned by the usual conglomerate suspects.

Safire also makes the connection between the obscene numbers of campaign advertising dollars that are spent on television ads and a continuation of the status quo; again, in spite claims of potential penury from the boardrooms of the media giants.