My Media World

During a typical week I use more media than I am probably even aware of. I am an avid DVR TV watcher. My schedule is such that I am never home to watch TV during the prime time hours. In a given week, when the show is in season, I watch Heroes, Gilmore Girls, Lost, Friday Night Lights, The Office, My Name is Earl, and Lost, probably among others. I don't really watch much cable TV, except for shows and documentaries on TLC. Overall, I watch NBC, ABC, CW, and TLC most. I was surprised to find what corporations own these stations. AOL Time Warner owns the CW, Disney owns ABC, and General Electric owns NBC. These

I am also on the internet every day. My internet service provider is Comcast. I am generally dissatisfied with the customer service provided by Comcast, but there frankly are no other service providers in my area in Saint Paul.

I don't frequently listen to the radio, but when I do I usually listen to the Current on 89.3 which is owned my by Minneapolis Public Radio. I occassionally listen to Cities 97.1. More often than not though, I listen to music that I own on my iPod or computer. When I go to concerts, I usually see shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis. These shows are somtimes sponsored by radio stations, such as Drive 105. Drive 105 is owned by Disney, which is very interesting. I definitely wouldn't connect Disney with some of the concerts that I've attended recently.

The more I research, the more surprised I am by who owns what in the media. I can absolutely no idea that General Electric owned media. This just exemplifies our society's obsession with capitalism and wanting to own sales in this country. We must critically analyze the role that these corporations play in the content provided through these media.