236236 Chapter 7 | The MediaFederal regulation of broadcast media was driven by the concern that one company
or organization might buy enough stations to dominate the airwaves in a given area and
become a monopoly, offering only one set of programs or point of view. For many years,
FCC regulations limited the number of radio and television stations a company could
own in a community and the total nationwide audience that a company’s television
stations could reach. The FCC also created the equal time provision, which says that
if a radio or television station gives air time to a candidate outside of its routine news
coverage—such as during an entertainment show or a cooking program—it has to give
an equivalent amount of time to other candidates running for the same office. For
example, when then–presidential candidate Donald Trump hosted Saturday Night
Live in November 2015, the television network (NBC) that
broadcast the program had to give free television time (in
the form of free advertising slots) to other presidential
candidates. The FCC also established a fairness doctrine,
whereby broadcasters had to present opposing points of
view as part of their coverage of important events; usually
this was done by broadcasting editorials during news
programs that presented both sides of an issue.Deregulation The FCC’s limits on ownership and
content as well as the fairness doctrine have been
eliminated because of the development of new
communications technologies. The logic is that with so
many sources of information, if one broadcaster ignores
a candidate, an issue, or a viewpoint, citizens can still
find out what they want to know from another source.
Pressure for deregulation also came from the owners of
media companies, who wanted to buy more television, radio, and cable stations, as well
as from book and magazine publishers, Internet service providers, and newspapers.^10
These regulatory changes have shaped the current media landscape in two ways.
First, they have allowed for concentration: many media companies own multiple
media sources in a town or community. For example, iHeartMedia owns over 850 AM
and FM radio stations, including multiple stations in more than 30 cities. The second
trend is cross-ownership, in which one company owns several different kinds of media
outlets, often in the same community. For example, the Tribune Company in Chicago
owns the WGN radio station, the WGN television station, and the Chicago Tribune daily
newspaper. These trends have given rise to media conglomerates, companies that
control a wide range of news sources.^11 Nuts & Bolts 7.1 shows the diverse holdings of
one such company, News Corp/21st Century Fox.Media Sources in the Twenty-First Century
Over the last two decades, the Internet has become a major and often dominant
information source for information about American politics. Virtually all U.S.
newspapers, magazines, television networks, radio stations, and cable stations offer
free or (increasingly) paid access to all their content via websites and mobile apps.
Many Internet-only sites offer a combination of rumor, inside information, and deep
analysis of American politics. Some, such as Politico, Vox, and FiveThirtyEight, have
paid staff and report on a wide range of topics. Others have a narrower focus: the
Monkey Cage (now affiliated with the Washington Post) and the Mischiefs of Faction
(now part of Vox) use political science research to explain contemporary AmericanPresident Trump has argued that he
should receive “equal time” under the
FCC’s equal time regulations due to the
negative coverage he often receives
from late-night television hosts like
Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah. Trump
tweeted: “Late Night host are dealing
with the Democrats for their very
‘unfunny’ & repetitive material, always
anti-Trump! Should we get Equal Time?”equal time provision
An FCC regulation requiring
broadcast media to provide equal air
time on any non-news programming
to all candidates running for an office.media conglomerates
Companies that control a large
number of media sources across
several types of media outlets.Full_08_APT_64431_ch07_232-261.indd 236 16/11/18 1:37 PM