Time Warner Essay -- essays research papers

clipping WarnerIn 1989, the superst Media Corporation was formed. The integration of Time Inc. and Warner communications produced Time Warner, which in 1996 with the acquisition of Turner broadcasting, regained its status from Disney as the largest media corporation in the world. The comp whatsoever right now, with over 200 subsidiaries world- wide, is becoming fully global with its profits from the USA f on the wholeing, and its profits throughout the world rising. Globalisation is proving to be Time Warners major asset in beating other competition to the realness market. Currently, Time Warner has interests in many different business fields. Music accounts for a large proportion of its income, tour not far behind are its cable systems, entertainment, films, video and television holdings. But, the company has also centred its resources and invested in the global media, producing programmes and channels for countries nearly the world, which in turn has proven to be a very lucra tive area of growth. Time Warner in general has become a major force in virtually every medium and on every continent So then, why should a company like Time Warner be a threat to the prevalent, and something which all of us citizens around the World should be aware of ? Isnt Time Warner just a success of capitalism ? A successful company, which employs thousands of people and makes massive turnovers, while at the same time advancing the cause of the global market and promoting commercialism doesnt seem like a thing of public concern. In the World village today, why should we need thousands upon thousands of small independent companys and tv stations and newspapers, when we could have ten large conglomerates who would control everything from production to sales to distribution ? The stylus in which things have developed over the past ten years, that scenario or fiction might even become fact or reality. So why should it bother the people of the World ? To begin answering that ques tion, we need to go back a hundred years or so and look at the work of Karl Marx and his interpretations of socio-economic order produced by industrial capitalism . Marx believed that the unequal distribution of wealth and the way in which the capitalist class controlled this wealth through the possession of cranky materials, means of distribution and labour, enabled them to make... ...in maintaining its role as a public broadcaster, and given more financial aid from the government. Advertising could be controlled more vigorously and regulated, peculiarly during childrens programming (As in Sweden). A more drastic approach would be the breaking up of the vertically integrated oligopolies, and establishing more competitive markets. In general, any change must strive to serve all of societies needs and interests, which includes audiences and broadcasters, and not only advertisers and media moguls. So, in the end are oligopolies, vertical integration and concentration matters of pub lic concern ? Of course they are. Matters of ownership of the media and the means of production, distribution and sales are too important to be ignored. In the interests of holding on to a rubicund democracy, diversity has to be achieved and maintained. As I have tried to show oligopolies and vertically integrated media industries are just as dangerous as tell apart run ministries that have a monopoly over information. Concentrated media power is political and social power. Thankfully, the World hasnt yet become like the latest offering from James pose Goldeneye.