Tuesday

From Me to You: Who owns what?

This topic struck me as maybe being one of the most difficult topics to research, I thought how in the world am I going to gain access to what a company owns? I'm just a university student with no pull in the media, there is no way I'm going to see the private companies and brands that a corporation owns. Until I went to canwestglobal.com and clicked on the heading "our brands." I never thought it would be that easy, apparently Canwest media has nothing to hide. I also learned why assumptions are wrong, I figured they may own a couple radio stations, maybe one or two television networks, wrong. Canwest media owns 37 seprate media companies all ranging from websites, to broadcast media and publishing outlets.
The main implications for media Hegemonies are the obvious ones like, what about the little guys? What are the chances that the average Joe can start up and maintain a television network when towering companies like Canwest media can swoop in anytime and by it from under your feet? One company owning several others leaves little room for any new material to be entered into the media, even if it is in dire need. Another obvious factor is where is all the money going? Ultimately, right back up to the top, to the Canwest corporation. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but not a good thing either. Because Canwest dominates most of Canada's media outlets, there is little chance that big changes will come easy, and rarely without the consent of the CEO.
Although I do not currently have a PhD in business or marketing, I do however know that Canwest media currently bankrupt. So what then will happen to the over 10 news papers that the company currently owns, it will then be up to the public shareholders to decide what is best for the publishing company, if it is to be saved at all; newspaper have been shutting down left, right and centre the past decade and I don't believe the trend will be coming to an end.
Ultimately, the pros of one corporation owning several is that consistency can be expected throughout (when not in debt) and they are all 'linked' through common grounds, giving each network the financial support they need. All the workers probably have solid salaries and pensions, and when the main company isn't going under, there is usually growth and development. However, this also creates a monopoly in the specific industry where these partnerships exist, leaving almost no room for public opinion, which is what the media industry should be all about.

"Our Brands." Canwest Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
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"Canwest Media debtholders offered stock." CBC News 6 Oct. 2009: n. pag. CBC
News. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. canwest-bankruptcy.html>.

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