CMN 140 Lecture 12: Who Owns and Controls the Mass Media?
9 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
Key idea: ownership patterns show a strong movement toward concentration and away from localism. Who controls the media: an important issue from the start, how much power should an individual or business be allowed to have, monopolies good or bad, media control information, debate rests on conflict between localism and efficiency. Two competing values: two strong values that address the issue of concentration of power. Two competing values: efficiency: trend toward concentration, consolidation, and centralization. Increased barriers to entry: small companies go out of business or are bought out by conglomerate. In 2004, five companies owned most us media properties: bertelsmann, disney, news. Corp, time warner, and viacom: danger of narrowing the range of voices. Lack of access: critics argue that as concentration increases, access to the media decreases. In one sense, barriers to entry have increased in certain media markets.
