Page 199 - Battleground The Media Volume 1 and 2

1 | Hypercommerc al sm

One of the economic incentives for mega media corporations is the ability to
secure the largest portion of national adverting revenue. CBS had learned these
strategies with their radio properties soon after the Telecommunications Act.
Robert McChesney reported that by September 1997, after quickly purchasing
the new legal limit of radio stations (eight in a single market), CBS became one
of three companies that controlled more than 80 percent of the ad revenues in
about half of the top 50 markets. These station monopolies allow companies to
corner national advertising, but result in a less competitive, less diverse market
system. Independent stations cannot acquire the high-paying national clients,
and smaller advertisers cannot obtain the same rates bought by big-time com-
mercial buyers. Massive ad buys of the kind made by P&G result in fewer alter-
natives for broadcasters if a major sponsor threatens to pull its commercials.
That is exactly what happened at CBS. The summer rerun period is not known
for high ratings. The threat made by P&G carried weight because it was to spon-
sor four commercials for the single episode. Replacing those would not be easy
for an August rebroadcast.
But CBS had reason not to pull the hour-long drama. It was the only one in
the series nominated that year for an Emmy Award, television’s highest honor.
Dana Delany, playing a single mother whose son is shot by the gun she owns, was
nominated for a guest-actress award. Networks routinely rerun their Emmy-
nominated programs in August because voting is still taking place. The will-
ingness to pressure the network might have been more understandable had the
program been unbalanced, but the episode presented both sides. While dra-
matizing the often-tragic outcome of gun ownership, the law firm in the series
nevertheless defends the mother’s right to own a gun.
This incident became the topic of news because the award-nominated actress
herself drew attention to the incident. But in this era of media consolidation, the
press has not done an admirable job of reporting on industry conglomeration.
When mergers occur, problems are downplayed and there is little public discus-
sion. Tom Brokaw’s terse statement about the CBS/Viacom deal is illustrative of
the coverage. “What does that mean for the average viewer? Well, probably not
very much” (Action Alert 1999).

PrEssurEs on ThE PrEss

Nonfiction programming, news and information have not been insulated
from the consequences of megacorporate ownership and hypercommercialism.
Hard-hitting investigations that challenge corporate practices, power, and wealth
are rare in this media environment that continually promotes consumption. It
has long been understood that even though media organizations are large profit-
making organization, information and uninhibited public debate are so essential
for democracy that they should be insulated from commercial pressures. This is
often referred to as the division between church (the editorial division of a com-
pany) and state (the rest of the corporation and its business practices). Media
managers and owners have offered congressional testimony confirming this
separation. But researchers have documented troubling cases where promotion,