“Is the dominance of a few global media organisations a good thing or dangerous?”

a. How is it possible to have the domination of a few global media organisations? Does the word ‘domination’ not suggest that these organisations entirely rule the media scene? How is this possible if there are only a few of them?

b. Well, take for example big organisations such as newspapers. The newspapers are dominated by The Sun and The Mirror.

a. I see. But I don’t see how this can be dangerous.

b. Well, if these global organisations are in the hands of one person then that gives him/ her unlimited power to choose what he/she wants in these organisations. This allows him/her to sometimes manipulate the media and present bias views.

a. Like Rupert Murdoch. I understand. So in some ways this is a bit like ‘cultural imperialism.’ This is currently the case with the US. Today, many critics argue that the current US media domination amounts to cultural imperialism whereby their culture is forced on us through our own media consumption.

b. Yes, and that can be dangerous for smaller organisation because it undermines their position in the media. Similarly, this is threatening to national media organisations and especially for smaller independent organisations.

a. That reminds me of a term called “McDonaldisation.” This refers to the growth and profound influence of the largest media organisations who are supplying us constantly with lots and lots of this media that is sometimes politically incorrect.

b. And this can be even more dangerous through ‘cultural homogenisation’ because it means that our cultural perceptions, -which are naturally and unconsciously formed through the media, are constructed through the ideologies and values from the media texts we consume.

a. However, is there really a true domination of these organisations? I mean, we still have these smaller media organisations. The thing with the dominance of these larger organisations instantly suggests that its audience are passive, when this cannot be said for all its readers. I believe in the end it comes down to the actual interpreter. If he/ she plays a passive role to the texts it consumes then surely this domination can be a dangerous thing. But, if you have an active audience that draws its opinions from a range of media texts then this is not necessarily a bad thing.

How ITV won back Sir Trevor McDonald

IVT won back Sir Trevor after his contract with the ITV finished. As a key figure in introducing 'back to basics' style policies of newsreading, he has been a key figure of ITV news but h has agreed only to work for a limited time until News at 10 comes through.

"Despite the expense of luring Sir Trevor back, ITV chiefs consider it worthwhile if it helps the network's negotiations with Ofcom to get rid of contract rights renewal, the advertising airtime trading mechanism that has been blamed for exacerbating the broadcaster's revenue decline."

The cutbacks in BBC staff

"So let's look at the world as it really is. The cuts in jobs are not a brave step into the 21st century of the "multi-platformed digital age" and not a worked-out business plan for a slimmer, fitter BBC. They are not designed to improve quality or to innovate. They are simply a way of saving £2bn - so please don't try presenting them as a rational strategy"

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The Guardian article argues that cutbacks of the BBC staff was not a carefully considered action and rejects the idea of it saving 2 billion. This extra money, the BBC claim will be used to create documentaries and programmes of a much higher standard that ever before, -but whether this is justified or not still remains a debateable issue.

Why the Sun might dump Brown

The Sun has revealed, through spokesman Irwin Stelzer, one of Rupert Murdoch's top advisers that they may be dropping their support for Brown and New Labour for Cameron after almost a decade of support for Blair.

The pivotal issue of joining the EU, without holding a referendum has annoyed Murdoch who has strong views on this matter. There is also general public despair held over Browns decision to cancel the speculated snap poll which Murdoch isn't too happy about either.

Considering both conferances -Labour and Conservative, Stelzer reveals that Cameron may just deserve another look.

This article is important because it successfully highlights one of many things. The first is that it illuminates the very power Murdoch holds, -is there a link between Browns decision to call off the election and Murdoch's decision to print an EU article against his election mandate? Secondly, this just goes to show how politics affects the media, -both on a interior and exterior level.

Viacom: History

In March 2005, Viacom (now known as CBS) made plans to divide the company into two different companies. There were two reasons for this:

1) The company was dealing with a decline in their share price
2) Rivalry between Leslie Moonves and Tom Freston, (longtime heads of NOW CBS and MTV Networks) was creating conflict at work.

This is what happened to the company:

After the departure of Mel Karmazin in 2004, Redstone, who served as chairman, decided to split the offices between Moonves and Freston.

Moonves - The original Viacom changed its name to CBS Corporation. It now includes Viacom's "slow growth businesses", namely The CW , CBS Radio, Simon & Schuster, CBS Outdoor, Showtime, CBS Records, CBS Paramount Television and most television production assets.

Freston - A new company, the present Viacom, was created. It is comprised of MTV Networks, BET Networks, Paramount's movie studio, and Paramount Pictures' home entertainment operations. These businesses are categorised as the "high-growth businesses" (MTV Networks and BET Networks in particular). By splitting into different companies, Viacom is able to infuse capital from these "high growth" business allowing future expansion.

Sumner Redstone still controls 71% of the voting stock of both companies and is the chairman of both companies.

2005:

*Neopets - virtual pet website
*Paramount and Dreamworks

2006:

*Atom entertainment
*Global Broadcast news to form Viacom 18(JV) -India