COM 150 - Media Consolidation PDF

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Taught by Rachel Tso...

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Media Consolidation & The Environment (Week 6 (10/2))

WIKIPEDIA - Concentration of media ownership Media Consolidation (a.k.a. concentration of media ownership) – a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media 

large media conglomerates include Viacom, CBS Corporation, Time Warner, 21st Century Fox and News Corp (the former News Corporation, split in 2013), Bertelsmann, Sony, Comcast, Vivendi, Televisa, The Walt Disney Company, Hearst Corporation, Organizações Globo and Lagardère Group.[4][5][6]

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As of 2015, Comcast Corporation is the largest media conglomerate in the US, with The Walt Disney Company, News Corp and Time Warner ranking second, third and fourth respectively.[7] Concentration of media ownership is very frequently seen as a problem of contemporary media and society.[4][5][6] When media ownership is concentrated in one or more of the ways mentioned above, a number of undesirable consequences follow, including the following: o Commercially driven, ultra-powerful mass market media is primarily loyal to sponsors, i.e. advertisers and government rather than to the public interest. o Only a few companies representing the interests of a minority elite control the public airwaves. o Healthy, market-based competition is absent, leading to slower innovation and increased prices. Media mergers are a result of one media related company buying another company for control of their resources in order to increase revenues and viewership Over time the amount of media merging has increased and the amount of media outlets have increased. As a result, fewer companies now own more media outlets, increasing the concentration of ownership.[9] In 1983, 90% of US media was controlled by 50 companies; as of 2011, 90% was controlled by just 6 companies.

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BI LLMOYERSESSAYONMEDI A CONSOLI DATI ON President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The act, signed into law on February 8, 1996, was “essentially bought and paid for by corporate media lobbies,” as Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) described it, and radically “opened the floodgates on mergers.”

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The law, which was the first major reform of telecommunications policy since 1934 The act dramatically reduced important Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations on cross ownership, and Allowed giant corporations to buy up thousands of media outlets across the country, increasing their monopoly on the flow of information in the United States and around the world. b o u t9 0p e r c e n to ft h ec o u n t r y ’ sma j o rme di ac ompa ni e sa r eo wn e dbys i xc o r p o r a t i o n s . Not only have big media companies continued to push for more consolidation and mergers, but they are also seeking to commodify and privatize the internet.

1 5BI LLI ONAI RES–FORBES  

a conversation about the ultra-wealthy's role in controlling the new While a billionaire secretly funding a lawsuit to take down a news outlet may be a new way of using money to influence the media business, billionaires have long exerted influence on the news simply by owning U.S. media outlets.

STUDY: MEDIA COVERAGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE  

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https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2016/03/07/study-how-broadcast-networkscovered-climate-ch/208881 BC, CBS, NBC, and Fox collectively spent five percent less time covering climate change in 2015, even though there were more newsworthy climate-related events than ever before Networks Largely Ignored Climate Change As A National Security Threat Other Than PBS, Networks Largely Overlooked Economic Impacts Of Climate Change. Networks Rarely Addressed How Climate Change Affects Public Health. PBS, CBS, and NBC Frequently Addressed Link Between Climate Change And Extreme Weather, Unlike ABC And Fox. BS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, And PBS NewsHour Aired Stories Detailing Climate Change Impacts On Plants And Wildlife. Sunday Shows Aired More Segments With Climate Science Denial Than They Did In 2014.

CLIMATE CHANGE LINKS TO HURRICANE MATTHEW (VIDEO) 

https://www.alternet.org/environment/amid-media-blackout-over-climate-change-linkshurricane-matthew-top-scientist-speaks-o-0

BERNIE SANDERS ON WHY BIG MEDIA SHOULDN’T GET BIGGER (VIDEO)    

https://vimeo.com/55073967 Bernie sees it as a threat to democracy People won’t be able to hear different points of view Little ownership of media by women and minorities

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IS REPLACING TRADITIONAL JOURNALISM FOR BREAKING NEWS    

http://billmoyers.com/2012/04/23/how-social-media-is-replacing-traditionaljournalism-for-breaking-news/ online news revenue has surpassed print news revenue, and more people are using social media tools like Facebook and Twitter for news than ever before. nearly half of all Americans get their news from online sources at least three times a week....