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What are the effects of increasing conglomerate ownership on the creation and dissemination of news and culture? These nine essays by leading media insiders and critics take probing, critical looks at the dramatic changes of recent years.
Opening with a fascinating overview of radio and television history by Erik Barnouw, the "dean of American media critics," the first part of the book features longtime media insiders such as Richard M. Cohen (former CBS Evening News senior producer) and Gene Roberts (former managing editor of the New York Times), writing candidly on the effects of increasing profit expectations in the newsroom. In the second part of the book, prominent media analysts, such as Mark Crispin Miller (author of Boxed In), Thomas Schatz (author of The Genius of the System), David Lieberman (USA Today), and Patricia Aufderheide (In These Times), discuss the dumbing-down of the publishing industry, the transformation of Hollywood, the increasing importance of merchandising and foreign rights in all media, and the false promise of the digital age. Finally, Thomas Frank (The Baffler) examines advertising and the possibility of resistance to conglomerate control of the media.
"Provocative critiques, gracefully expressed." —Booklist
Erik Barnouw (1908–2001) was a historian of radio and television broadcasting and a professor at Columbia University. He had a successful broadcasting career working for CBS and NBC and won the Peabody Award in 1944 for the documentary radio series Words at War. He was elected chairman of the Writer's Guild of America in 1957 and also served on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Barnouw is the author of several books and a co-author (with Patricia Aufderheide, Richard M. Cohen, Thomas Frank, David Lieberman, Mark Crispin Miller, Gene Roberts, and Thomas Shatz) of Conglomerates and the Media (The New Press).
Richard M. Cohen is a former senior producer of the CBS Evening News. He is a co-author (with Patricia Aufderheide, Erik Barnouw, Thomas Frank, David Lieberman, Mark Crispin Miller, Gene Roberts, and Thomas Shatz) of Conglomerates and the Media (The New Press).
Thomas Frank is a political analyst, historian, journalist, and a columnist for Salon. He is a former columnist for Harper's Magazine and the Wall Street Journal and was the founder and editor of The Baffler. He is a co-author (with Patricia Aufderheide, Erik Barnouw, Richard M. Cohen, David Lieberman, Mark Crispin Miller, Gene Roberts, and Thomas Shatz) of Conglomerates and the Media (The New Press).
David Lieberman is the executive business editor for Deadline Hollywood where he reports on business and finance, big media, public policy, internet, and technology. Prior to joining Deadline, Lieberman was senior media reporter at USA Today. Lieberman is an adjunct professor at Fordham University's Graduate School of Business. He is a co-author (with Patricia Aufderheide, Erik Barnouw, Richard M. Cohen, Thomas Frank, Mark Crispin Miller, Gene Roberts, and Thomas Shatz) of Conglomerates and the Media (The New Press).
Mark Crispin Miller is a professor of media, culture, and communication at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He is a co-author (with Patricia Aufderheide, Erik Barnouw, Richard M. Cohen, Thomas Frank, David Lieberman, Gene Roberts, and Thomas Shatz) of Conglomerates and the Media (The New Press).
Gene Roberts is a journalist and a former professor of journalism at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. He is a is a co-author (with Patricia Aufderheide, Erik Barnouw, Richard M. Cohen, Thomas Frank, David Lieberman, Mark Crispin Miller, and Thomas Shatz) of Conglomerates and the Media (The New Press).
Thomas Shatz is the Mary Gibbs Jones Centennial Chair of the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the director of media studies and executive director of the University of Texas Film Institute. His writing has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and academic journals, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Premiere, Film Comment, Film Quarterly, and Cineaste. Shatz is a co-author (with Patricia Aufderheide, Erik Barnouw, Richard M. Cohen, Thomas Frank, David Lieberman, Mark Crispin Miller, and Gene Roberts) of Conglomerates and the Media (The New Press).