Knowra Media concentration Media concentration Media concentration is the consolidation of ownership and control over media outlets among a relatively small number of companies. It can occur within one medium or across multiple media industries.
Horizontal integration : The merger or acquisition of firms operating at the same stage of production in the same industry. It concentrates ownership when one company acquires competing outlets in the same medium.
Media pluralism : The presence of diverse media owners, outlets, viewpoints, and forms of expression. Pluralism is threatened when fewer owners control a larger share of media.
Public broadcasting : Broadcast media funded primarily through public sources and organized to serve public purposes. Publicly funded institutions provide an alternative to ownership by commercial conglomerates.
Big Three television networks : The American broadcast networks ABC, CBS, and NBC that dominated national television for decades. Their dominance illustrates concentration among a small number of national broadcasters.
Vertical integration : The ownership of multiple stages in a product’s production and distribution by one company. A media company can control content creation, distribution, and delivery through one ownership chain.
Editorial independence : The ability of journalists and editors to make content decisions without improper outside influence. Ownership concentration can give corporate priorities greater influence over editorial decisions.
Community media : Media created and governed by members of a local or interest-based community. Community ownership offers a small-scale alternative to centralized corporate control.
Bell System : The American telecommunications network once controlled by AT&T and its affiliated companies. Its breakup shows how competition policy can dismantle concentrated communications control.
Media conglomerate : A large company that owns businesses across multiple media industries. Conglomerates embody cross-media concentration by combining outlets and production businesses.
Media bias : Systematic distortion in media coverage through selection, framing, or presentation of information. Shared ownership can align coverage across outlets, though concentration alone does not prove bias.
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