Ownership by Major Media Corporations - Essay Example

Media Ownership Task: Media Ownership Media ownership is a broad term that can be tackled from a multitude of perspectives. In defining media ownership, one predisposes his/her analysis to looking at dimensions concerning the different possible stakeholders to the subject. Private firms, governments or mergers between governments and private firms can own mass media. Traditionally, states owned and dominated most of the aspects of the mass media. This might have been partly due to political volatility to countries that were then gaining stability. However, due to gradual media liberalization, private ownership set in thereby increasing its scope steadily. Despite that fact, there has been the realization that private firms can merge or cooperate with governments towards growth of mass media. Apart from the stated aspects, private ownership can consist of mergers, consolidation or conglomerates. In the 21st century, media ownership has taken a complex direction of single corporate firms engaging in other media related activities (Rohn 2009, p.18). In this discussion, the article is going to explore how the ownership and its related concepts affect media content. To begin with, governments that own mass media can intensively influence the outcome of media activities. This is typical of repressive governments that need to command large public following (Baker 2007, p.1). It is explicable from history that one of the autocratic governments’ ways of taming political rivalry and revolutions, was to edit the content of various kinds of information. Media tools such as television bulged with news directed at glorifying leaders of regimes. In addition, information that concerned enlightening the subjects on their rights was to be redrafted. It is in such cases that news editors are under pressure to release regime friendly content to their audiences. Governments also possess beneficial reasons for owning media. Governments may acquire media to provide cheap access to vital information. Vital information entails fundamental issues in a country such as education and health. For instance, when an epidemic breaks out, it is the government’s responsibility to avail the information to the public in a swift and efficient method. The most effective way for government is to utilize a cooperative organization whereby transactions are reasonable and immediate. The governments also display their policies to the public through state owned media. The most discussed of policies are economic aspects. They need to be available to the public scrutiny because they affect several other developmental perspectives of a country. The basic reason for such state ownership is that there are tendencies for more social welfare perspective than profit orientation. Apart from that, management of media by few firms can be an indomitable control to the content. Examples of large media corporate bodies include the Walt Disney Company, News Corporation and Time Warner. Such companies engage in profit and market influence competition that creates conditions for consumer domination while employing uniform content. The concept of the same content is driven by the need to outplace one another in known areas of information or entertainment. As a result, such corporation builds resolutions or webs that regulate their content and minimize the tendencies of one company to surpass the rest. Since they create scenarios whereby entry into the media industry becomes difficult, their programmes ensure monotonous content until they decide to create or modify their content. It is essential to bring to light examples of mergers, conglomerates and consolidation that have taken place among conspicuous media corporations. For instance, Walt Disney purchased Pixar, which is an animation giant company, through a stock exchange trade whereby it bought all of Pixar’s shares. Animation is the fundamental aspect of its activities that propelled Disney’s growth. Pixar, therefore, currently falls under the activities of Walt Disney pictures. Apart from that, Time Warner is an example of a company that is merged of two partners; Time Inc. and Warner communications Inc. Another illustration of ownership influence to media content is described by scientific magazines. Examples of scientific magazines include BBC focus, the New scientist and Discovers magazines. Such magazines mostly comprise of reports that are factual oriented. In addition, they contain scientific entrepreneurial ventures and discoveries. The content of such magazines can sometimes exclude readers. However, scientific magazines sometimes strive to appeal to every audience. They achieve this by employing user-friendly articles that use simplified language and adjusted content. The magazines, too, trigger curiosity by bringing to public attention new discoveries and inventions. A point in the case is the Discover magazine that tackles broad and appealing scientific concepts such as psychology and psychiatry. Ownership structure is one of the elements that affect the content of media related companies. Managers make several decisions regarding marketing, innovation and products. As such, managers decide on content that will impact on market base, image and profits (Kellner 2003, p. 11). Consumer tastes influence the decisions that such managers make. The loophole of autocratic management is such that, the individuals that can influence the creative process are ignored. This may limit innovation since the same products are churned out for a long time. In close relation to this, it is observable that intensely consolidated news corporations attain political influence gradually (Rozell 2003, p.18). The first media companies merge and gain control over several sources of information and entertainment. Steadily, they create a fanatical audience that does not necessarily affect politicians but also create independent political following. Once the organizations are established, it becomes difficult to challenge their products. This happens because of a few reasons. To begin with, these industries are interlinked in a manner that there is interdependence among them. Such interdependence creates scenarios whereby rival media corporations refrain from challenging the content of their partners. In addition, fanatics who get addicted to their contents enjoy the satisfaction of consuming uniform subjects. Influential media corporations participate in drafting regulations and control measures of contents. As a result, smaller firms are bound to guidelines that favor larger corporations. In cases where media executives contest for political offices, they are able to manipulate their media corporations to further their ideologies (Paletz 2002, p.52). In addition, corporate leaders can trigger the public to focus on their favorite candidates (Croteau & Hoynes 2006, p.53). Besides the mentioned illustrations, liberated media house share interesting aspects in how they manipulate their content. It should be recognizable that such manipulation is, for some time, a charitable intention for the public. Mass media are increasingly achieving autonomy due to the realization of benefits that such freedom carries. The benefits of media freedom are diverse. To begin with, media freedom envelops the surrounding for accuracy in contents. This is contrasted with regimes that limit the information load to inhibit political upheavals. Apart from that, it gives audiences platforms to responding to subjects of their media corporations. It also awards, for instance, reporters the opportunity for delivering information that is sought independently. Free media can, however, utilize the opportunities to lace their content with controversy in order to acquire a sizeable audience. Another aspect of media ownership that influences content regards horizontal and vertical integration. Vertical integration refers to the relation in management in which one company owns the factors in a supply chain. The factors in a supply chain involve the processes that lead to the final product of an entity. This means that such a company has a way of gaining revenues in multiple steps of production. Horizontal integration, on the other hand, refers to the practice by which related companies are consolidated under one management. Such dimensions always share a link of related content or similar perspective. Horizontal integration also entails mergers and concepts of subsidiary companies. A rich illustration of horizontal integration concerns Walt Disney Company. For instance, Walt Disney studios concern production of animated and action films. Thereafter, it distributes the products under Walt Disney pictures. The Walt Disney distribution is three-armed thereby occupying every loophole of distribution. Apart from that, it possesses a website and interactive media group that offers the platform in internet and phones for upload of Disney products. It also possesses its own communication and research unit within its portfolio. This integration awards the parent company the autonomy of influencing its contents with minimal interference. Vertical integration, as applied to media, refers to a scenario where a single media company possesses several other related segments and subsidiaries. The dominant characteristic of such corporations is that they focus on a uniform theme (Doyle 2002, p.72). A previous example of Walt Disney illustrates this point. For instance, the corporation comprise of four segments that include; Walt Disney studios, resorts, consumer products and media networks. Walt Studios focus on animated and live action films. Their media networks such as ABC, as well, show animated programmes (Croteau & Hoynes 2006, p.41). The media networks consist of news television, sport oriented networks and radio stations. Their portfolio extends into every avenue of entertainment. In addition, a similar example of Time Warner Inc. exists. This is a corporation that is made up of two principal segments that comprise Warner Communications and Time Inc. Whereas Warner communications is focused in aspects of entertainment like film and television aspects, Time Inc. has specialized in publishing books. The major merger, as regards to Time Warner, concerns purchase of the Warner corporation by AOL to create a new company that consolidated its management. AOL is an internet company that merged with the film oriented Time Warner to create an influential company that retained much revenue within itself. As such, the corporations release content that focuses on a uniform theme such as kids’ entertainment in Walt Disney. Another example is ESPN Inc., an affiliate of Walt Disney, which has focused on sports entertainment. Media monopoly, as a result of integration limits diversity of content. Vertical diversity, as pertains to mass media, refers to the act of range of ideas and conflict of views in a single news corporation. Horizontal diversity pertains to disparity in ideas and opinions between two or more media houses. Monopoly, thus, restrain this diversity since previous rival companies are merged (Robinson 2009, p.8). Conglomeration has impacted on the prints aspects of journalism. This print media focuses on heavy advertising (Hargrave & Livingstone 2009, p.13). The media corporations have invented a new method of including substantial information in adverts rather than focusing on mainstream information. These adverts consume more focus of these corporations’ than more essential information does. Apart from advertising, the media companies place emphasis on entertaining rather than informing their audience (Napoli 2007, p.18). They focus on colorful information, celebrities’ lives, extreme events and controversial happenings. The editors analyze or publish stories on the basis of the amount of public discussion they can create. Another factor of media ownership that impinges on their contents regards whether or not the corporations are independently possessed. The factor that influences the behavior of independent firms regards their capital base. Independent firms tend to have minimal capital base in relation to chain-owned partners. They, in turn, do not cover diverse contents and advertisement as compares to chained partners. They are frantic, especially for newspapers, in the quest for their reports (Craig 2004, p.71). They entail reports that arouse more public debate than the chained managed partners. Chain ownership tends to cover safe stories that do not subject their corporation to much scrutiny. Independent news agencies employ many sources in compiling their reports. Although the view possesses bias, it is arguable that Independent firms have extensive reports in order to earn credibility marks among their audience. Large corporate media fraternities have the practice of limiting their content based on the risk of the programmes (Fortunato 2005, p.16). Even though many products are released annually, managers of news corporations dismiss certain productions for external reasons. High risk productions are those that are speculated to attract low audience. In turn, such programmes are not able to woo advertisers into choosing them (Grabber 2002, p.38). In a nutshell, this discussion concerned discussing ways in which media ownership and its related concepts affect the media content. Media ownership was dissected in terms of parties in ownership and ownership structures. The first discussion entailed bringing to light how autocratic governments can control and own media to aid them exercise absolute control over the citizens. However, governments can possess charitable intent on owning media houses. Social welfare regards indispensable aspects of societies such as health and education. In addition, current media ownership dictate media contents because they are more profit oriented than social welfare focused. For instance, television networks could limit educative content and focus on entertainment such as wrestling shows. Another point in mention regards content as pertains to magazines. A case in point is scientific magazines that focus absolutely on scientific subjects. Moreover, management structure such as vertical and horizontal integration limit content in that they synchronize their activities within a uniform theme. Lastly, independent press is more report oriented than chain owned press. Besides that, chain owned news corporation agencies engage in programmes that arouse little debate. References Croteau, D & Hoynes, W 2003, Media society: industries, images, and audiences, Pine Forge Press, California. Croteau, D & Hoynes, W 2006, The business of media: corporate media and the public interest, Pine Forge Press, California. Graber, D A 2002, Mass media and American politics, CQ press, Washington. Kellner, D 2003, Media spectacle, Routledge, New York. Paletz, D L 2002, the media in American politics: contents and consequences, Longman, California. Craig, G 2004, the media, politics and public life, Allen & Unwin, New Zealand. Rozell, M J 2003, Media power, media politics, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland. 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