Use the following link to take you to a chart that diagrams who owns the major media outlets in the United States. After reviewing this information, what's your reaction to these charts? Is too much power over the media concentrated into too few companies? How does this affect the news an average "media consumer" receives? Explain your response.
http://www.nowfoundation.org/issues/communications/tv/mediacontrol.html
http://www.thenation.com/special/bigten.html
http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/chart.shtml
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Who controls the media? The media is, like any other industry, after money, so in essence the consumer. Whatever a person wants, they will try and deliver. However, the head of companies are going to make the final decision on what is finally posted or viewed.
ReplyDeletePower consternation? No, there might be only a few big companies, but media tends not to survive small because they need to actually get good information and be able to cipher through what people want. It isn’t like there is a monopoly, and just because they can make people afraid doesn’t mean that it’s their fault, it is the person who listens or watch it’s fault for getting to worked up and becoming panicky. The media will try and be as profitable as possible, and if providing only one side of an argument and posting a few pessimists points of view, so be it.
How does it affect consumer? It leaves someone with fewer opinions, but if you can’t form your own ideas and thoughts then you really aren’t very capable to use the media.
Reaction? Where’s my share?
I was surprised that just a couple of companies can have so much power. I think that the power is too concentrated. It isn’t right to have just a few companies control so much of the media. This gives the “media consumer” a one sided view on the shows that are owned by the same company. The company that is in control of all of the media is going to make sure that their opinions and views are expressed in every part of the media that they control.
ReplyDeleteI found it surprising that just a few companies own so much of the media. I think it may be too concentrated but it doesn't make me upset or anything. You have liberal media and more conservative media. I believe most people get a one sided story and aren't fully informed but you can get both sides of the story and there is always the internet which provides way more than just what's on TV. I think those companies have a right to put whatever they want on their channels. It's their company, their money so they can do what they want. But if they go too far they'll lose viewers. So I agree with Parkerb. Really the consumer is in charge. So although most media is biased, you can get both sides of the story. You just need to search a little bit.
ReplyDeleteI think that ultimately the media controls the media. There are many others that factor into it like the people and the government but the media decides what goes on the air. The government says what kind of things are allowed and the media conciders what the people want. But the media controls what goes on their station. And the stations get as many networks as possible to make the most money.
ReplyDeleteAfter reviewing the information that was displayed by the given sites, I was extremely surprised by the amount of control such few corporations have on our Internet, television shows, news channels, magazines, newspapers, etc. I was also fairly surprised by the fact that Disney is one of these major corporations, and controls not only television, but also magazines, radio programs, and newspapers. Typically, when I think of the Walt Disney Company, only the Disney Channel pops into my mind. I believe that even though there are only six main corporations controlling the media, this is not a terrible thing. If there were even more corporations controlling the media, it may be a little too complicated and not as concentrated. This definitely presents the average “media consumer” with many biased programs, and not very many differing perspectives regarding the media.
ReplyDeleteI was also really surprised on how concentrated the media is, and how much power so few companies have over them. However, i also agree with parkerb and jfenton in that, the consumer is also held accountable for the opinions they choose to believe. We all wish that there was one station that provides both extremities of the story but there is not, which is why they are so controlled, and by doing so are making the most amount of money. The media should be more informative and give the whole truth instead of half truths. But since this is not going to happen, it is up to the consumer to search a little themselves to form their own opinions. It is not a secret that the media is completely biased.
ReplyDeleteBefore looking at these charts I never knew or really paid attention to who controlled the media. I didn’t know that many large well-known companies owned so many smaller well-known companies. I think that control over the media should only be run by the bigger companies. Many of the smaller companies make the media more biased based on the products that they are trying to sell or the influence that they are trying to have in order to draw more attention to their companies. I think that by having more than one company in control of the media makes the media less biased than what it could be. If only one major company had control over the media then the news would be far more biased.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at the charts, I found it astonishing to see how much power is given to the media. There is deffinetly to much power concentrated on only a few companies. I believe that the media to our nation needs to give more information, instead of just the scary part of it. I know that our society now a days is interested in death and gloomy news, but instead of the media just giving us all that stuff and all the drama they need to explain more about what it is about.
ReplyDeleteBrianna Bukes
It is incredible how only a few companies control so much of the media. I disagree, however, that the consumer is the one that controls the media. Isn’t it more appropriate to say that the media controls the consumer? I believe that these major companies are showing you what they want to show you. They pick the commercials. They pick what they want you to see. They pick things they think will get you to do or think in the way they want you to. Things like subliminal messaging come into play there. You can’t tell me a catchy song to a commercial doesn’t make you want to go get the product it’s talking about? “Gimme a break. Gimme a Break. Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat Bar!” Now who doesn’t want one of those after hearing that? So In all I suppose the Companies that run the media DO control the media.
ReplyDeleteI never realized that so few companies run the media. You would think that all the companies like MTV and Nickelodeon are their own company. I think that this is not fair because they will all be telling us the same thing. When so few companies control the media we will never get the full story of anything if these companies don't want to share it. I think that more companies should be involved in the media so the general public will get the full story on everything.
ReplyDeleteI had absolutely no idea before seeing those charts that the media was so densely concentrated. I think it is ridiculous that everything we watch in our daily lives, in essence, is controlled by 4 or 5 different companies. I think this limits the potential of what we see on our televisions, hear out of our radios and see on our newspapers. What we hear, see and read is only what those companies want us to hear, see and read. If one of those companies wanted to, they could run programs all day that talked about fairies and unicorns, and we would have to sit back and watch it because that is what would be our T.V.. Our society has no control over what the media does, and by society I mean the public, the people who aren't working for these major companies. We don't get to choose what we find out is happening in the world, and we have been pushed into believing that there are only stories of hate and crime out there, only to be lifted at the last minute by ONE little story of hope or inspiration. In reality, the world is filled with just as many, if not more, acts of amazing kindness, then acts of heinous violence. So to answer the question, yes, there is too much power in too few companies. I think it is ridiculous, and wish that there was a way to change it. But in corporate America, when money means everything, that's a hard thing to do.
ReplyDeleteP.S.
"“Gimme a break. Gimme a Break. Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat Bar!” Now who doesn’t want one of those after hearing that?"
I definitely want a Kit Kat Bar now! (Proves their point)
The more outlets for the news should allow the viewer more diverse opinions on any given event. All these outlets control different companies but they put out a lot of the same news stories. Does this mean these outlets really control by some common basis that we are unaware of. The media is varied and each outlet has selling points that attract the viewers to watch. It means that one might receive the same story a million different times, very annoying! I also think a lot of the news that goes out is very opinionated by the workers of the outlet, and one outlet just tries to top the other one.
ReplyDeleteThe unfortunate truth is that big corporations own the major media outlets that people watch. I do think that there should be freedom of the press, meaning that anyone can own or say what they want. But the fact is, I think that the major media companies should be owned by different people, and those people only projects should be reporting the media. We can’t have these people owning tons of different enterprises, then the really don’t care about the media and are just more interested in how much they can own. Opposing viewpoints should also be given in each news cast and the whole story should be reported. One person, or a few people cannot be in charge of the information that goes to the people. If you control information, you can control everything.
ReplyDeleteMy initial reaction to the charts is I find it very shocking to see what limited number of companies is controlling so much of the media broadcast today. When it comes to too much power held by a number of few companies. I personally think it’s a true fact that they indeed do. Due to the fact that so many of these companies alone control multi million networks is amazing. I wouldn’t go as far to say that it’s a monopoly but it very well could be consider to becoming one here shortly. Just look at the situation today media broadcasting with just normal satellite television isn’t even an option no more. All of us are now required to get a so called converted box just to watch their favorite everyday shows. And that alone already gives them power. So when it comes to how it affects the news that an average media consumer receives. It can be proven with just control of changing network to satellite and just knowing what and what not to show. They give the story of news the way the people want to hear it and face it us Americans seem more into blood and guts then a cat getting saved in a tree.
ReplyDeleteMy reaction to these charts: I didn’t know that some companies had power to run other companies, I think that makes them have too much control. I also don’t think that it’s a good thing. I think small companies should be their own, that way they strive on there own without having to worry about what some other company’s “regulations”. I think the power is concentrated, but that’s why it affects the news, and what we, as consumers receive. The larger companies decide what they do and don’t want us to know. In a way it’s not fair because I think that we either don’t get the full story or hear about the unimportant stuff. For example, which celebrity got a nose job, vs. starving kids in Africa. I think that the media controls the consumer also. They chose everything, if there’s a commercial about the shampoo that they want us to buy, we will most likely buy it. The media’s power over us scares me, makes me wonder what else they could do.
ReplyDeletei thought that tv stations were each seperately owned, i had no idea that only a few companies controlled the whole market. i don't think that this is fair, because if a new company comes out it will be very difficult for them to succeed, and they will get bought out by the larger companies that have more power and money. Also, this means that we will have less views of arguments reported to us, since only a couple companies control the news, they will monitor whats on each station. that is not good for the people of america to be blinded to both sides.
ReplyDelete*i was absent thurs.
I have no problem what so ever with these companies owning so many channels, they fought hard to get on top and it appears they succeded. When I watch ESPN all i hear about is sports its not like I get a commercial about High School Musical after every game recap. I also don't care if they are all saying the same thing if you are so easily influenced by these stations then good riddance, keep watching tv, as for the people who have a brain stem they will realize you can't believe everything you hear.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know that a few companies owned the media and controlled it. I found that really surprising though but I don’t think that it matters too much. Yes, it does give just one side to a story but that’s what makes us watch the media because they make it so exciting. Most of us watch the news when there is a big story coming up because that’s what gets us interested. I think that more companies owning the media would be good though because it would give us more sides to stories and more viewers even.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at the chart on mediachannel.org, I was shocked to see how few companies run so much media. It really shows why most of the media is a one sided story. People will watch it because they believe what media tells them and pick what network they like best. It almost seems like there are too many networks because you really don't need that many networks covering the same news. Like Mr. Hawthorne said in class, there are definitely different sides to a story, but not 6 different sides.
ReplyDeletePhysically it is these six mega companies that control the media. But it is us, the American people, that want it and watch it. If you have seen the Frontline Documentary, “The Merchants of Cool” you can see how these corporations conduct market research of average people to find out what they want to see. In addition they will host parties for young people, film it, and put it on networks like MTV. So they pretty much sell us back to ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThe reason these six companies have been so successful and have been able to buy out all the other networks is because they show what people want to watch. If there is nothing on that we like or want to watch we turn it off. So the only way to succeed is to give us what we want. So in my opinion it is the viewers who truly control the media.
I was, like most people, surprized at what certain companys own. I didn't know that disney owned television shows. When I watch the news I never really go to one specific channel because I know that every single one of them is going to cover the top stories and tell us all the same weather. I think it is pretty reidiculous how many news station their are.
ReplyDeleteI had an idea that Disney control alot of stuff, but I didn't know it own this much.And I really didn't know that general electric owned alot more and especially the sports.It makes you questsion since Disney likes everything happy and cheerful, do they hide and not tell us the sad harmful stories out there. Disney always look like a fairy tale where everyone's dream comes true. So do they try to do the same thing with news, hiding the truth we don't want to hear or face. So I think the Media image controls the news, to either look the best.
ReplyDeletethank u about this information
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