Will 5 Companies Run The Media?

There are only six companies that own most media --TV networks, move studios, publishers, magazines, and newspapers. If Rupert Murdoch’s 21^st Century Fox takes Time Warner over, there’ll be five.

·         Comcast is worth $142.7 billion

·         Disney is worth $149.2 billion

·         CBS is worth $34 billion

·         Time Warner is worth $62.6 billion

·         21^st Century Fox is worth $78.4 billion

·         Viacom is worth $36.4 billion

These are powerful forces of influence. In the digital world, there are titans too—Netflix, AOL, Google, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, Print has a few powerful organizations such as Gannett, Associated Press, The New York Times and magazine conglomerates such as Hearst and Conde Nast, and book publishers such as Penguin Random House wield a lot of power. How can we insure all voices are heard when it comes to what is published, produced, and reported?

There is a danger when just a handful of people can decide what gets talked about. The Internet is just an extension of these forceful media owners. All the blogs in the world can’t counter what people consume from the networks and the studios attached to them.

There’s an interesting book out about media manipulation called 955 Lies, by Charles Lewis. In his book, he documents how ABC News and CBS’ 60 Minutes would often squash a story critical of the powerful and connected.

We must each be vigilant in pursuing the truth, discussing controversial ideas, and in analyzing our behavior. The mass media is just a giant illusion when it comes to being a democracy of news, art, and entertainment.

As authors, you can play a role in making sure all ideas are explored, that all of history isn’t forgotten, that current events are not ignored, and that our imaginations are stimulated and inspired to find the cure to media conglomerate mania.

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2014