As the nation has been captivated in recent days by a publicity starved couple who crashed a party, and a minor car accident involving a major star, another news item caught my attention: the possible purchase of NBC by Comcast. The continued consolidation of media ownership is a story that will impact all of us, and it may help explain how an empty balloon over Colorado was able to dominate the news.
I started out my career as a reporter, first at Minnesota Public Radio and later for a television station in Wisconsin. I believe a strong fourth estate is essential to a democracy and I have a deep respect for the work that journalists do every day. But I have also seen the impact of media deregulation and consolidation. When profit is allowed to override purpose on the airwaves, even the best journalists will find themselves veering toward the sensational over the substantial.
Today virtually all media sources are owned by major corporations. Clear Channel Communications owns more than 1,200 radio stations across the country and nearly 40 television stations. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. owns Fox Broadcasting, more than 30 television stations, and now the Wall Street Journal. These are just two examples, but there are many… and soon Comcast may top the list.
Why should we care about media consolidation? First, we need to remember that the broadcast airwaves are a public resource. From the beginning the FCC was charged with preventing any entity from controlling too much of the airwaves, and stations that were granted broadcasting licenses had to agree to dedicate at least part of their air time to the “public good.”
In 1985, the Reagan administration eliminated guidelines requiring stations to air a minimal amount of non-entertainment programming. In 1987, the administration went farther, eliminating the “Fairness Doctrine” which required stations to perform a public service by reporting on crucial issues in the community, and to make a reasonable attempt to cover contrasting points of view. Coincidentally the Rush Limbaugh Show launched one year later.
The Reagan media deregulation hit close to home for me. At the time I was working on a nationally syndicated public affairs radio show called American Focus. We would spend a half hour interviewing prominent politicians, authors, scientists and journalists. When I started at American Focus we were aired on more than 500 radio stations across the country. In 1988 that number dropped to 120. Public affairs programming was no longer deemed necessary.
Media deregulation has been a bipartisan effort. President Clinton expanded on Reagan’s efforts with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which paved the way for massive media consolidation by lifting the 40-station ownership cap. By 1999 Viacom owned six of the top 10 radio stations in the country.
When news media stops being held to a public service standard, the desire for ratings will naturally gravitate toward giving people what they want (Balloon Boy) instead of what they need (actual journalism).
Minnesota is facing a $1.2 billion deficit. The nation is grappling with health care reform and two wars. The top two national stories on CNN.com as I am writing this? Tiger Woods… and the “party crashers.”
How much of a threat is media consolidation in America? And what should be done about it? Please share your thoughts.
It’s funny: the broadcast media are not only consolidating, but losing total mindshare in society. You point out so poignantly that so much of that mindshare is now squandered on noise. The media moguls (why do we continue to use that term??) will say that they are just fulfilling a need, responding to demand.
This is a great time to lead – and the silver lining in all of this is the availability of online forums. It would be ironic, but increasingly likely, that our most reliable sources of substantive information WON’T buy their ink by the barrel.
I applaud anyone who is working to put out news that is not just entertainment. Articles filled with real facts that educate like telling us about the elimination of the “Fairness Doctrine”
Our major news is now just entertainment. The sad truth is that people would much rather hear about Tiger’s personal life than to be educated on the political affairs here or abroad. It is Fun to view mansions it is not fun to view war and poverty. The channels and print compete not for breaking news as they call it because real news has substance and education but they compete for the stories that make people feel good. We have become a nation that wants to live and believe in fantasy. We want to emanate the rich and famous not the poor and hungry. I can only hope that one day enough people will wake up and say we need to face reality. We need to understand what is happening to other people in the world besides the Tiger Woods’. We need real news.
I do think media consolidation is a huge threat, and some of the cause of social media allowing any person to be seen as a reporter. Tiger Woods, “party crashers,” etc. are headlines because that’s what people think they want to hear….more fun than hearing about issues. Would love to see things like the Fairness Doctrine brought back, pushing the news away from pure entertainment to actually educating us about what’s happening in our backyard.