Media concentration

A 21st-century conundrum:Fewer owners, more voices

The trouble with localism

• Local owners often aren’t independent

The trouble with localism

• Local owners often aren’t independent

• Publishers reward friends, punish enemies

The trouble with localism

• Local owners often aren’t independent

• Publishers reward friends, punish enemies

• Corporate money can help duringbad times

The real issue

• What matters is journalism’s standing with ownership

(Murrow, Paleyand Stanton atCBS in 1946)

Ben Bagdikian

• Survivor of the Armenian holocaust

• First ombudsman of the Washington Post

• Played a key role in publishing the Pentagon Papers

“The Media Monopoly”

• In 1983, Bagdikian worried that 50 corporations controlled much of our media

“The Media Monopoly”

• In 1983, Bagdikian worried that 50 corporations controlled much of our media

• Today, the number of corporations has shrunk to five

Monopoly effects

• Dozens of cable channels, but handful of owners

Monopoly effects

• Dozens of cable channels, but handful of owners

• Company officialssit on eachothers’ boards

Monopoly effects

• Dozens of cable channels, but handful of owners

• Company officialssit on eachothers’ boards

• Journalism becomes a tiny part of what the corporation does

Kovach and Rosenstiel

• “Journalism’s first duty is to citizens”

Kovach and Rosenstiel

• “Journalism’s first duty is to citizens”

• But what do you do when ownership believes the first duty of the news division is to maximize profits?

Time Warner

• 2007 revenues: $46.4 billion

• CNN, AOL, HBO, Time, Sports Illustrated, People, Warner Bros.,books and the Atlanta Braves

Walt Disney Corporation

• 2007 revenues: $35.5 billion

• ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel, television and radio stations, movie studios, books, music, magazines and theme parks

News Corporation

• 2007 revenues: $28.6 billion

• Fox network, TV stations, satellite, movie studios, MySpace, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Weekly Standard

Viacom/CBS

• 2007 revenues: $25.7 billion

• CBS network, television and radio stations, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, BET, Nick, books, music and movie studios

Bertelsmann

• 2007 revenues:$19 billion

• Columbia Records, Random House books, television stations, radio stations and magazines throughout Europe

General Electric Company

• 2007 revenues: $173 billion

• NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, television stations, movie studios, Telemundo

• Weapons, aircraft, nuclear power plants

New York Times Company

• Boston Globe, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Boston.com, Boston Red Sox(17 percent), New England Sports Network (14 percent), Metro Boston (49 percent)

Eastern Massachusetts

• First generation– More than 100

individually owned papers

Eastern Massachusetts

• First generation• Second generation

– A half-dozen or so regional groups

Eastern Massachusetts

• First generation• Second generation• Third generation

– One local owner for all papers

– Fidelity Capital– Boston Herald

Eastern Massachusetts

• First generation• Second generation• Third generation• Fourth generation

– One national owner for all papers

– GateHouse Media owns papers across the United States

Reasons for concern

• Coverage in the corporation’s interest– GE and nuclear

power plants– Dennis Kucinich

and the debates– Disney’s theme-park

workers

Reasons for concern

• Coverage in the corporation’s interest

• But …– Clear Channel

and Minot wasan urban legend

Reasons for concern

• Coverage in the corporation’s interest

• But …– Clear Channel

and Minot wasan urban legend

– Ben Compaine shows thereis no monopoly

Countervailing trends

• A.J. Liebling worried about local monopolies, which no longer exist

Countervailing trends

• A.J. Liebling worried about local monopolies, which no longer exist

• Internet has created vast array of choices

Countervailing trends

• A.J. Liebling worried about local monopolies, which no longer exist

• Internet has created vast array of choices

• Nonprofit and local ownership

Countervailing trends

• A.J. Liebling worried about local monopolies, which no longer exist

• Internet has created vast array of choices

• Nonprofit and local ownership

• Bloggers talk back to the media

Encouraging diversity

• Regulate radio and television until the Internet takes over

Encouraging diversity

• Regulate radio and television until the Internet takes over

• Preserve net neutrality

Encouraging diversity

• Regulate radio and television until the Internet takes over

• Preserve net neutrality

• Encourage an ownership culturein which news comes first