Who owns CNN? MSNBC? ABC?

[Q]

Who owns CNN? MSNBC? ABC?

Original article is at http://la.indymedia.org/news/2003/04/47530.php Print comments.

So ya think we have a "free press" eh? Check out who owns who, and who owns what you think.......

GENERAL ELECTRIC --(donated 1.1 million to GW Bush for his 2000 election campaign)

Television Holdings:
* NBC: includes 13 stations, 28% of US households.
* NBC Network News: The Today Show, Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Meet the Press, Dateline NBC, NBC News at Sunrise.
* CNBC business television; MSNBC 24-hour cable and Internet news service (co-owned by NBC and Microsoft); Court TV (co-owned with Time Warner), Bravo (50%), A&E (25%), History Channel (25%).
The "MS" in MSNBC
means microsoft
The same Microsoft that donated 2.4 million to get GW bush elected.

Other Holdings:
* GE Consumer Electronics.
* GE Power Systems: produces turbines for nuclear reactors and power plants.
* GE Plastics: produces military hardware and nuclear power equipment.
* GE Transportation Systems: runs diesel and electric trains.
==================================================

WESTINGHOUSE / CBS INC.
Westinghouse Electric Company, part of the Nuclear Utilities Business Group of British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL)
whos #1 on the Board of Directors? None other than:
Frank Carlucci (of the Carlyle Group)

Television Holdings:
* CBS: includes 14 stations and over 200 affiliates in the US.
* CBS Network News: 60 minutes, 48 hours, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, CBS Morning News, Up to the Minute.
* Country Music Television, The Nashville Network, 2 regional sports networks.
* Group W Satellite Communications.
Other Holdings:
* Westinghouse Electric Company: provides services to the nuclear power industry.
* Westinghouse Government Environmental Services Company: disposes of nuclear and hazardous wastes. Also operates 4 government-owned nuclear power plants in the US.
* Energy Systems: provides nuclear power plant design and maintenance.
================================================================
VIACOM INTERNATIONAL INC.
Television Holdings:
* Paramount Television, Spelling Television, MTV, VH-1, Showtime, The Movie Channel, UPN (joint owner), Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Sundance Channel (joint owner), Flix.
* 20 major market US stations.
Media Holdings:
* Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Video, Blockbuster Video, Famous Players Theatres, Paramount Parks.
* Simon & Schuster Publishing.
=============================================
DISNEY / ABC / CAP (donated 640 thousand to GW's 2000 campaign)
Television Holdings:
* ABC: includes 10 stations, 24% of US households.
* ABC Network News: Prime Time Live, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America.
* ESPN, Lifetime Television (50%), as well as minority holdings in A&E, History Channel and E!
* Disney Channel/Disney Television, Touchtone Television.
Media Holdings:
* Miramax, Touchtone Pictures.
* Magazines: Jane, Los Angeles Magazine, W, Discover.
* 3 music labels, 11 major local newspapers.
* Hyperion book publishers.
* Infoseek Internet search engine (43%).
Other Holdings:
* Sid R. Bass (major shares) crude oil and gas.
* All Disney Theme Parks, Walt Disney Cruise Lines.
======================================================

TIME-WARNER TBS - AOL (donated 1.6 million to GW's 2000 campaign)
America Online (AOL) acquired Time Warner–the largest merger in corporate history.
Television Holdings:
* CNN, HBO, Cinemax, TBS Superstation, Turner Network Television, Turner Classic Movies, Warner Brothers Television, Cartoon Network, Sega Channel, TNT, Comedy Central (50%), E! (49%), Court TV (50%).
* Largest owner of cable systems in the US with an estimated 13 million subscribers.
Media Holdings:
* HBO Independent Productions, Warner Home Video, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera.
* Music: Atlantic, Elektra, Rhino, Sire, Warner Bros. Records, EMI, WEA, Sub Pop (distribution) = the world’s largest music company.
* 33 magazines including Time, Sports Illustrated, People, In Style, Fortune, Book of the Month Club, Entertainment Weekly, Life, DC Comics (50%), and MAD Magazine.
Other Holdings:
* Sports: The Atlanta Braves, The Atlanta Hawks, World Championship Wrestling.
=======================================================
NEWS CORPORATION LTD. / FOX NETWORKS (Rupert Murdoch) (donations see bottom note)
Television Holdings:
* Fox Television: includes 22 stations, 50% of US households.
* Fox International: extensive worldwide cable and satellite networks include British Sky Broadcasting (40%); VOX, Germany (49.9%); Canal Fox, Latin America; FOXTEL, Australia (50%); STAR TV, Asia; IskyB, India; Bahasa Programming Ltd., Indonesia (50%); and News Broadcasting, Japan (80%).
* The Golf Channel (33%).
MEDIA HOLDINGS:
* Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight.
* 132 newspapers (113 in Australia alone) including the New York Post, the London Times and The Australian.
* 25 magazines including TV Guide and The Weekly Standard.
* HarperCollins books.
OTHER HOLDINGS:
* Sports: LA Dodgers, LA Kings, LA Lakers, National Rugby League.
* Ansett Australia airlines, Ansett New Zealand airlines.
* Rupert Murdoch: Board of Directors, Philip Morris (USA).

*(Phillip Morris donated 2.9 million to George W Bush in 2000)*

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2003/04/47530.php

[LTR]

1. The so-called liberal media...

...is only as liberal as the huge corporations that own it.

[sundancekid]

2. thanks for posting a much-needed reminder ... we should all save

a copy of this and keep it handy ... expand it even -- with details on names of ALL the relevant newspapers, and radio stations too!

[actappan]

3. Of course indymedia's exsistance proves we have a free press . . . (rant)

... of some kind. At least in the constitutional sense.

Corporate ownership of the press doesn't really infringe on the concept of the free press - it just means that the news as presented by those outlets is likely to be filtered in some manner. The fact is, that while the news outlets may present the news in such a manner as to further the political ends of their owners/majority stockholders (i.e. Fox) - their first and foremost purpose is to turn a profit for those same people.

In order to turn a profit, they'll present what news they have in a manner which will catch the attention of the audience. Thus the filter is more likely to be one that increases viewership than one that furthers a corporations political goals.

Even Fox, while reprehensibly partisan in it's content and presentation, may have simply found a profitable niche. That same niche has comfortably supported Rush, O'Reily, Buchanan and others for years, and has a proven constituency, and thus market potential. Sure, Rupert loves that it furthers his political mores, but the same corporation also airs The Simpsons.

In some ways - not-for-profit media is more likely to present a politically skewed POV. After all, their primary motivations are not to make a profit for their shareholders, and thus -potentially- are more likely to further a political agenda.

It still bothers me that we continue to deregulate media ownership. We should continue to support responsible ownership restrictions on the news media. As in an ecosystem - where bio-diversity is important for the health of said system, diversity is important to the health of our media, and to the health of the public who consumes their output. Support your local independent media outlets.

But we also need to educate ourselves, our kids, and our communities to be intelligent consumers of media. Understanding the media, and understanding how to criticize that media is the first step to judging if you're being told the truth, and the whole truth.

[wiggs]

4. GE

Someone other DUer noted that GE has hundred of millions of dollars worth of contracts in Iraq. Their investment in BA has paid off well.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Ain't capitalism just swell? A real friend of the people.

Just work hard and you too can own a network and "serve" the people.