Trump Campaign Releases Statement Threatening That Trump Administration Will “Break Up” Media Conglo

[onenote]

66. Which five corporations control the media?

It used to be six. But five, six ... it's still a silly BS meme.

The corporations typically cited as controlling the "media" are Comcast/NBCU, ABC/Disney, News Corp/Fox, Time Warner Inc (now possibly TW Inc/ATT/DIrecTV), and CBS/Viacom. I suppose the sixth would be Charter/Time Warner Cable.

Now, some of these are vertically integrated companies with broadcast stations, broadcast networks, movie studios, and cable and/or satellite distribution. News Corp/Fox has a two large print publication (but no cable or satellite); Charter/Time Warner Cable basically has cable systems and not that much else other than a couple of regional sports networks. Time Warner Inc/ATT/DirecTV will have Time Magazine and other magazines.

It sounds impressive until you realize that there four other satellite/cable distribution companies out there with a combined total of nearly 30 million subscribers. That ownership of the 25 largest newspapers in the country is divided among 20 different companies, 19 of which are never listed as among the companies controlling the media. Plus, the largest group owners of tv stations include several companies not included on that list as is also the case for the largest radio station group owners.

Plus, the total number of tv and radio stations is dramatically higher than it was a few decades ago. And I haven't even mentioned the Internet -- companies like Netflix, with over 30 million subscribers, an almost infinite number of websites not controlled by whatever five or six companies supposedly control the media, and a few new behemoths, such as Google -- probably the company we should all be most afraid of.

The reality is that we have vastly more choices in terms of the sources of information and entertainment (which is what I assume folks are referring to when they say "media&quot than we did not all the long ago. When I was growing up, my choices were limited to some AM radio stations and maybe five tv stations (of which three were affiliates of a national commercial network, one was a public broadcasting station and the third was an "independent" station that featured mostly re-runs and old movies) and two local newspapers. I'd take today over that world any day of the week.