Media Ownership.

conglomerates continue to grow in size as well as power.      The anti-trust laws that exist in the Unites States aim to prevent national monopolies, however most media monopolies are localized. Gannett controls less than ten percent of the United States daily newspaper circulation, however practically all of Gannett’s papers are monopolies because they are the only paper in their town. Gannett owns more than ninety daily papers and forty non-dailies. (Campbell, page 470). This may preclude the consumer’s availability of differing opinions other than those Gannett chooses to provide. By 2001, thirteen newspaper chains existed and they acquired one-half of all the nation’s daily newspapers (Campbell, page 290). As fewer chains exist, it is more likely that the newspaper will neglect the needs of the communities to increase profit. Newspaper chains favor editors who are “bottom line-business managers” (Campbell 291) rather than independent editors who may be seeking to provide the best news for the consumer. Along with newspapers, almost all cable companies possess local monopolies. On Long Island, Cablevision is the only cable option. This gives the company the ability to set prices higher than they should be because they have no fear of competition. This is not the media working in the best interest of the consumer. Corporations such as Cablevision and AOL Time Warner can also choose to air only certain stations, leaving the consumer with the only option of switching to satellite television. AOL Time Warner monopolizes the majority of New York City. New York City is one of the largest United States markets with only one choice when it comes to choosing a cable company. That is too much power in the hands of AOL Time Warner. If they choose to withhold a particular station, most of New York City cable subscribers will be left in the dark. They would have no way to obtain access to a certain type of broadcasting that AOL Time Warner chooses to exclude.      There are only five major corporations that own the majority of television stations and affiliates throughout the Unites States. They are AOL Time Warner, Viacom, News Corporation, Disney, and General Electric. News Corporation for example owns thirty-two United States stations (Campbell 291). If the FCC’s new plan is passed by Congress, these companies will be allowed to buy enough television stations to reach forty-five percent of the national audience. As they grow larger and continue to dominate the market, “independent voices” (Campbell, page 463) will suffer because these companies are only going to air entertainment and advertisements that appeal to mass audiences. Likewise, News programming may also reflect a slanted or limited outlook of a situation, leaving only one view point to ponder. While there are five major players in broadcast television, there are only two dominating corporations owning radio stations. These are Clear Channel and Infiniti (which is owned by Viacom). Together these companies bring in thirty-five percent of the revenue.      Regulating the media has not been a top priority in recent years. It has not made its way into either Democratic or Republican campaign platforms. It is unlikely the media would find it in their best interest to promote this issue. You would be hard pressed to find a news program that would delve into such a debate when it is clearly advantageous for the parent company to stay clear of it. Along with a consolidated media comes the pressure to rake in profit, homogeneity of content and opinion, and the exclusion of many voices that should be heard.