“Lacking any necessarily conspiratorial intent and acting in their own economic self-interest, media conglomerates exist simply to make money by selling light escapist entertainment. In the words of the late Emilio Azcarraga, the billionaire head of Mexico's Televisa: "Mexico is a country of a modest, very fucked class, which will never stop being fucked. Television has the obligation to bring diversion to these people and remove them from their sad reality and difficult future."
I found it very funny and startling at the same time and this is why:
Disney is one of the World's largest transnational corporations that publishes books, magazines, movies, theme parks, music and financial and medical services information.
• Disney owns the ABC network (who owns 10 TV stations and 66 radio stations in the USA).
• Furthermore, Disney is partnered with Hearst Corporation and General Electric (GE), it invests in 12 cable stations, 13 broadcasting channels,
• Disney is also the part owner of several international (German, French, Spanish, Scandinavian and Japanese) television stations,
• It owns several film companies: Buena Vista, Touchstone, Walt Disney, Hollywood Pictures, Caravan Pictures and Miramax Films,
• Disney is partnered with Sid R. Bass in the production of petroleum and natural gas,
• Disney owns ABC.com, Oscar.com, Mr.Showbiz, all Disney related sites, Family.com, ESPN.com, NBA.com, NASCAR.com, and toysmart.com, Anaheim Sports Inc. and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 15 resorts and is a partial investor with TiVo.
Media Hegemonies can be the catalyst to problems concerning objectivity and diversity within the economy. When I started to do research on Disney, I had no clue that it owned so many other companies. All of these companies are working for the same ‘head company’ and most likely carry the same objectives. Seeing that many people are unaware or are misinformed about these companies, I believe media hegemonies should be highly publicized to show people (not necessarily the biases a company may have or if they have, but where the information is truly coming from). ‘Media Giants’ such as Disney, try to accumulate smaller companies in the same industry to increase revenue.
This can be related to someone making a decision about what phone carrier to choose at Best Buy Mobile, or his or her local mall. If you go to a carrier store, the employees will advise you to choose their product over the rest (biased opinions). However, if you go to Best Buy Mobile (where I currently work), they have all the carriers and will give you the best alternative that meets your needs (you choose—who’s opinion should you trust and value?), however what I am saying right now is also my biased opinion.
Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtXNNAs9u0M
Disney is an awesome company. Many of my childhood memories include Disney characteristics: such as being a princess, kissing a frog and he becomes my prince and flying on a magic carpet. Overall, knowing this information has not made me dislike Disney, but it makes me think about the media in a broader sense (where am I receiving information from and how I am receiving the information).
Companies will continue to fight for power in the years to come. “As Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone has put it, ‘Companies are focusing on those markets promising the best return, which means overseas’."
Works Cited
McChesney, Robert W. "The New Global Media ." It's a Small World of Big Conglomerates (1999): n. pag. Web. 10 Nov 2009.
Media Giants: Who owns what? July 2004. Think & Ask. 10 Oct. 2009
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