I never thought I would say this, but Mickey Mouse and the Animaniacs are slowly taking over the world. I know how that sounds at first, but in the world of big media conglomerates the creators of these playful cartoon characters have been expanding and multiplying like viruses. Both Disney and Time Warner have become two of the biggest media corporations in the world, owning various media companies in every continent. Also, both of these corporations project non-US sales to yield a majority of their revenues within a decade (McChesney). I wasn't kidding when I said that they were taking over the world.
Let's observe Time Warner, originally Warner Communications, Inc., Time Inc., and America Online, Inc. These three companies combined in 2001 to create Time Warner Inc., a corporation with operations in film, television and publishing (just to name a few). Their list of assets is far too long to post, so I will just list some of the biggest names (timewarner.com):
On the Internet: AOL and all of its divisions, including AOL Instant Messenger, AOL International, AOL Latino and AOL Radio, Games.com, Mapquest, Netscape and Weblogs, Inc.
On Television: CNN, HBO and all of its divisions, HTV, NASCAR, NBC, TBS and TNT.
In Film: Castlerock Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Picturehouse and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
As I said, this is a list that is far from completed. The media conglomerates consist of a short list, with names such as Comcast, Time Warner, The Walt Disney Company and Viacom among them. However, it is corporations such as these that claim ownership over all media influences throughout the world, no matter what form of media they present themselves through. Just by looking at the list for Time Warner we see connections to television, the Internet and film.
Media hegemony has been dominated by few corporations in the 21st century, with companies like Warner Communications, Inc. and Time Inc. merging and expanding across the globe. Robert McChesney is a research professor at the University of Illinois who agrees. He wrote an article in The Nation called "The New Global Media". In it he said:
"Together, the deregulation of media ownership, the privatization of television in lucrative European and Asian markets, and new communications technologies have made it possible for media giants to establish powerful distribution and production networks within and among nations. In short order, the global media market has come to be dominated by the same eight transnational corporations, or TNCs, that rule US media." (McChesney)
Earlier I said that these media corporations were like viruses. Precisely what I mean by that comment is linked to McChesney's comments in this quotation on media conglomerates. The fact that so much of our media exposure is dominated by a few corporations is somewhat frightening. The same companies that are streaming the news every night are also the same companies ruling Hollywood. In that case, is the information that I accept as fiction in film being filtered through down into the six o'clock news on my local station? Or do the films take the real-life horror that they see in society through these news stations, like violence and drug abuse, and use it as material for blockbuster movies? The thought alone that so much power is held in the hands of so few is terrifying.
Ian showed the class a Website in which big media CEO's were on the Board of Directors in one company, and another, and another and another. The same individuals were all in control of various corporations. Not only are there few companies ruling media, but the same people are in control of these companies. Is Mickey really taking over the world? Not to the literal point where we'll see him up against Obama in 2012, but the media titans that own him have an inconceivable hidden influence on our lives today.
Works Cited
McChesney, Robert. "The New Global Media: It's A Small Worls of Big Conglomerates." The Nation 11 Nov 1999 19 Nov 2008 <http://www.thenation.com/doc/19991129/mcchesney.>
"Business." TimeWarner. TimeWarner. 19 Nov 2008
<http://www.timewarner.com/corp/management.html>
Let's observe Time Warner, originally Warner Communications, Inc., Time Inc., and America Online, Inc. These three companies combined in 2001 to create Time Warner Inc., a corporation with operations in film, television and publishing (just to name a few). Their list of assets is far too long to post, so I will just list some of the biggest names (timewarner.com):
On the Internet: AOL and all of its divisions, including AOL Instant Messenger, AOL International, AOL Latino and AOL Radio, Games.com, Mapquest, Netscape and Weblogs, Inc.
On Television: CNN, HBO and all of its divisions, HTV, NASCAR, NBC, TBS and TNT.
In Film: Castlerock Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Picturehouse and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
As I said, this is a list that is far from completed. The media conglomerates consist of a short list, with names such as Comcast, Time Warner, The Walt Disney Company and Viacom among them. However, it is corporations such as these that claim ownership over all media influences throughout the world, no matter what form of media they present themselves through. Just by looking at the list for Time Warner we see connections to television, the Internet and film.
Media hegemony has been dominated by few corporations in the 21st century, with companies like Warner Communications, Inc. and Time Inc. merging and expanding across the globe. Robert McChesney is a research professor at the University of Illinois who agrees. He wrote an article in The Nation called "The New Global Media". In it he said:
"Together, the deregulation of media ownership, the privatization of television in lucrative European and Asian markets, and new communications technologies have made it possible for media giants to establish powerful distribution and production networks within and among nations. In short order, the global media market has come to be dominated by the same eight transnational corporations, or TNCs, that rule US media." (McChesney)
Earlier I said that these media corporations were like viruses. Precisely what I mean by that comment is linked to McChesney's comments in this quotation on media conglomerates. The fact that so much of our media exposure is dominated by a few corporations is somewhat frightening. The same companies that are streaming the news every night are also the same companies ruling Hollywood. In that case, is the information that I accept as fiction in film being filtered through down into the six o'clock news on my local station? Or do the films take the real-life horror that they see in society through these news stations, like violence and drug abuse, and use it as material for blockbuster movies? The thought alone that so much power is held in the hands of so few is terrifying.
Ian showed the class a Website in which big media CEO's were on the Board of Directors in one company, and another, and another and another. The same individuals were all in control of various corporations. Not only are there few companies ruling media, but the same people are in control of these companies. Is Mickey really taking over the world? Not to the literal point where we'll see him up against Obama in 2012, but the media titans that own him have an inconceivable hidden influence on our lives today.
Works Cited
McChesney, Robert. "The New Global Media: It's A Small Worls of Big Conglomerates." The Nation 11 Nov 1999 19 Nov 2008 <http://www.thenation.com/doc/19991129/mcchesney.>
"Business." TimeWarner. TimeWarner. 19 Nov 2008
<http://www.timewarner.com/corp/management.html>
No comments:
Post a Comment