Who Owns the TV Networks?: A Compilation

Yes, I know. This subject has been done to death.

But after recently watching the 1976 satirical film Network I felt compelled to force the issue back to the surface once again, especially for those newer members who may be unaware. The following articles are very informative and I will provide links to other valuable sources too.

The warning of Theodore Roosevelt has much timeliness today, for the real menace of our republic is this invisible government which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy length over City, State, and nation. It seizes in its long and powerful tentacles our executive officers, our legislative bodies, our schools, our courts, our newspapers, and every agency created for the public protection. To depart from mere generalisations, let me say that at the head of this octopus are....a small group of powerful banking houses generally referred to as the international bankers. The little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually run the United States government for their own selfish purposes.

- Gary Allen, None Dare Call It Conspiracy

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General Electric

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General Electric is a true behemoth: the conglomerate is the world’s third largest company with market capitalization of nearly $370 billion and annual revenue of $173 billion (2007). The company produces practically everything – from aircraft engine to locomotives to medical devices.

GE’s media holding includes television networks NBC and Telemundo, 27 television stations in the United States and many cable TV networks, including the History Channel, A&E, and Sci Fi Channel. It also owns the popular web-based TV website Hulu.

Time Warner

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Time Warner is the world’s largest media and entertainment company – it owns major operations in film, TV, print, Internet, and telecommunications. Time Warner has an annual revenue of $50.5 billion (2008) – the equivalent of the entire GDP of Luxembourg.

Like cartoons? Time Warner’s got you covered with Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. Classic movies? Check (Turner Classic Movies). And who can forget CNN and Headline News? Both are Time Warner properties.

Note: CW is co-owned by Time Warner and CBS.

The Walt Disney Company

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You may associate it with amusement parks, but The Walt Disney Company has grown to be one of the world’s largest media and entertainment corporation since its founding as an animation studio by brothers Walt and Roy Disney in 1923.

The Walt Disney Company owns the ABC television network, with more 200 affiliated stations reaching nearly 100% of all U.S. television market, as well as dozens of niche cable networks. True to its cartoon animation origin, Disney captures its viewers early – it counts millions of young children as its audience with kids channels like the Disney Channel.

News Corporation

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Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation is a behemoth: it is the largest media company in the world by market capitalization ($38 billion). For most people, the conservative news channel Fox comes foremost to mind when asked what they think of Murdoch’s media empire – but the company’s holding is far larger: it includes Asia’s Star TV Network, the National Geographic Channel and even the iconic TV Guide network.

Don’t watch TV? Even if you prefer to browse the Internet, most likely you’ve visited News Corp’s property, which include Hulu (owned in partnership with GE through its subsidiary NBC Universal) and the social networking giant MySpace.

CBS

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CBS (which used to stand for the Columbia Broadcasting System) is not sometimes called the Tiffany Network for nothing: the company is known for its high programming quality. It is currently the most watched television network in the United States, and reached more than 103 million homes in the country.

Both CBS and Viacom (see below) are owned by multi-billionaire Sumner "content is king" Redstone, through his holding company, National Amusements.

Viacom

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Viacom stands for "Video and Audio Communication" – and true to that name, the company owns a large number of cable and satellite television networks (the company was split from CBS Corporation in 2005, though both have the same majority owner).

In 2007, Viacom filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google and YouTube for copyright infringement and recently a federal judge granted Viacom’s request for data of all YouTube users. The blogosphere has since called for a boycott of all Viacom properties – so that means no MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon or – gasp – Comedy Central for you!

Find the full article and much more here.

Another great little tool can be found here: Ownership Chart: The Big Six.

Rob Agers' article and accompanying video entitled Choose Your News is also a very accurate analysis of media ownership but also puts forward a method to filter out the propaganda and spin and see the real news information.

And from our very own Maxmars: So who owns our media sources? - An unanswered ATS LIVE! UK/Euro question. I don't know how I missed that one!

The final word, as always, goes to "the mad prophet of the airways," Howard Beale...

Nice thread friend, you missed a few though but very informative Newscorp owns four newspapers in the U.K i looked into this a while ago it all ties in together very well.

Thank you for the list. It is always good to be reminded of the big megaphones used by so few.

And thank you for Howard Beale. "Network". The best movie ever made. How it was made is a wonder. If any one who reads this thread has not seen it, do so now. We'll wait for you to get back.

Oscar, best movie
Oscar, best actor
Oscar, best actress
Oscar, best supporting actress
And here, from 1976 was the best supporting actor nominated roll of " Chairman of the Board" Ned Beatty.

reply to post by TerryMcGuire


Paddy Chayefsky was a brilliant man.

Check out this thread for a brilliant interview with him, he discusses Network and sums it all up perfectly.

Cheers

reply to post by TheMajestic


If you think I missed any be my guest and add them. The more information in one place the better as far as I'm concerned

One thing I would be interested in is exactly who owns the major media outlets in other countries outside of the US and UK. How far does their influence reach?

Something to look into I suppose.

Here is a link to the interlocking corporations within the media www.fair.org... . The same people behind the media are behind pretty much everything else. Since using the internet to get to the bottom of things, the MSM is just one big propaganda machine. You get what you pay for.

reply to post by kwakakev


Cheers for that

It is ridiculous how few people control the vast majority of this planet.

I'm wondering if anyone has done a pyramid type chart showing the agencies and possible connections governing these powerhouses up to the main capstone? I once saw similar type of pyramid connecting the music industry. Fascinating stuff.

A very good thread! Very very useful to know, thank you! Did it take long to figure this out?

Then the question is who are the five or ten main stockholders in the big companies. I wonder if those names would overlap with each other.

reply to post by Aleister


Well a pretty good summary of the major directors of each media outlet is given in the link I provided under the heading, "Who Owns the TV Networks?" by Eustace Mullins.

It makes for very interesting reading.

heres one more, BERTELSMANN

thats no. 7 in the international rating and the main player for whole europe...

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*stupid img isnt working -.- * here the link to the grafik

reply to post by Hessdalen


Thanks for that

I had never heard of them.

Another one to add to the ever growing list!

Good thread. S & F.

Any idea who this single majority holder would be?

Viacom stands for "Video and Audio Communication" – and true to that name, the company owns a large number of cable and satellite television networks (the company was split from CBS Corporation in 2005, though both have the same majority owner).

reply to post by SquirrelNutz


Sumner Redstone

Wanna see who owns what?

Have a look at this link...

www.cjr.org...

You'll be surprised(or maybe not) at what each major company owns. It lists the newspapers, radio stations, etc... that the major and minor players hold around the world.

double post.

really cool info.....thanks for the post......

the sad thing is, WE, are called crazy for facts.......

Comcast is THE major player for delivery in the north american continent. I've contracted for all the majors in the last ten years but comcast seems to be buying up most of the competition including adelphia and regions of TW. They are owned by some family out of Philadelphia.

reply to post by GAOTU789


Great source, thanks

I believe it all began with J.P Morgan...

U.S. Congressional Record February 9, 1917, page 2947

Congressman Calloway announced that the
J.P. Morgan interests bought 25 of America's leading newspapers, and
inserted their own editors, in order to control the media.

“In March, 1915, the J.P. Morgan interests, the steel, ship building and powder interests and their subsidiary organizations, got together 12 men high up in the newspaper world and employed them to select the most influential newspapers in the United States and sufficient number of them to control generally the policy of the daily press in the United States.

“These 12 men worked the problems out by selecting 179 newspapers, and then began, by an elimination process, to retain only those necessary for the purpose of controlling the general policy of the daily press throughout the country. They found it was only necessary to purchase the control of 25 of the greatest papers. The 25 papers were agreed upon; emissaries were sent to purchase the policy, national and international, of these papers; an agreement was reached; the policy of the papers was bought, to be paid for by the month; an editor was furnished for each paper to properly supervise and edit information regarding the questions of preparedness, militarism, financial policies and other things of national and international nature considered vital to the interests of the purchasers.

“This contract is in existence at the present time, and it accounts for the news columns of the daily press of the country being filled with all sorts of preparedness arguments and misrepresentations as to the present condition of the United States Army and Navy, and the possibility and probability of the United States being attacked by foreign foes."

Source