142 Reading: Who Owns the Media?
Introduction
Massive corporations dominate the U.S. media landscape. Through a history of mergers and acquisitions, these companies have concentrated their control over what we see, hear and read. In many cases, these companies control everything from initial production to final distribution. In the interactive charts below we reveal who owns what.
TV and Radio
Broadcasters make billions in profits while using the public airwaves for free. In return, they are supposed to provide programming that fulfills community needs. Instead, lobbyists have successfully fought to make it easier for broadcast companies to gobble up even more free airspace while doing less to serve the public.
Take Action to end the big broadcast swindle.
Bain Capital/Thomas H. Lee Partners (Clear Channel)
- 2011 Revenue: $6.2 billion
- Company Overview: These private equity firms own Clear Channel, the largest radio station owner in the country. Approximately half of the company’s revenue is generated from radio broadcasting. The remaining half comes from advertising companies and other investments.
- Radio: 866 radio stations and Premiere Radio Networks (a national radio network that produces, distributes or represents approximately 90 syndicated radio programs, serves nearly 5,800 radio station affiliates and has over 213 million weekly listeners. Programs include the Rush Limbaugh Show, Glenn Beck and the Sean Hannity Show); Fox Sports Radio; Fox News Radio; Australian Radio Network
- Other: Katz Media (radio advertising broker); American Outdoor Advertising
CBS Corporation
- 2011 Revenue: $14.2 billion
- Company Overview: CBS Corporation “has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and the CW — a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television (Showtime Networks, Smithsonian Networks and CBS Sports Network), local television (CBS television stations), television production and syndication (CBS Television Studios, CBS Studios International and CBS Television Distribution), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS Interactive), music (CBS Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS Consumer Products), video/DVD (CBS Home Entertainment), motion pictures (CBS Films) and socially responsible media (EcoMedia).”
- TV: Twenty-nine television stations and CBS Television Studios; CBS Entertainment; CBS News; CBS Sports; CBS television stations; CBS Television Studios; CBS Studios International; CBS Television Distribution; the CW; Showtime; CBS College Sports Network; CBS Television Network; Smithsonian Networks
- Radio: CBS Radio and 130 radio stations
- Online Holdings: CBS Interactive; CNET
- Print: Simon & Schuster; Watch! Magazine; Pocket Books; Scribner; Free Press (publishing house)
- Entertainment: CBS Films
- Other: CBS Outdoor; CBS Connections; EcoMedia
Comcast Corporation
- 2011 Revenue: $55.8 billion
- Company Overview: In 2011, the Federal Communications Commission approved Comcast’s takeover of a majority share of NBCUniversal from General Electric. This merger combines the nation’s largest cable company and residential Internet service provider and one of the world’s biggest producers of TV shows and motion pictures. Comcast’s media holdings now reach almost every home in America. It serves customers in 39 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to its vast NBCUniversal holdings, Comcast has 23.6 million cable subscribers, 18 million digital cable subscribers, 15.9 million high-speed Internet customers and 7.6 million voice customers. Comcast recently entered into a partnership with Verizon in which each company will market and sell the other’s services.
- TV: NBCUniversal; twenty-four television stations and the NBC television network; Telemundo; USA Network; SyFy; CNBC; MSNBC; Bravo; Oxygen; Chiller; CNBC World; E!; the Golf Channel; Sleuth; mun2; Universal HD; VERSUS; Style; G4; Comcast SportsNet (Philadelphia), Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (Baltimore/Washington, D.C.), Cable Sports Southeast, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, MountainWest Sports Network, Comcast SportsNet California (Sacramento), Comcast SportsNet New England (Boston), Comcast SportsNet Northwest (Portland, Ore.), Comcast Sports Southwest (Houston), Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (San Francisco), New England Cable News (Boston), Comcast Network Philadelphia, Comcast Network Mid-Atlantic (Baltimore/Washington, D.C.); the Weather Channel (25 percent stake); A&E (16 percent stake); the History Channel (16 percent stake); the Biography Channel (16 percent stake); Lifetime (16 percent stake); the Crime and Investigation Channel (16 percent stake); Pittsburgh Cable News Channel (30 percent stake); FEARnet (31 percent stake); PBS KIDS Sprout (40 percent stake); TV One (34 percent stake); Houston Regional Sports Network (23 percent stake); SportsNet New York (8 percent stake)
- Online Holdings: MSNBC.com (50 percent stake); Hulu (32 percent stake); DailyCandy; iVillage; Fandango
- Telecom: Clearwire Communications (9 percent stake)
- Other: Comcast Interactive Media; Plaxo; Universal Studios Hollywood; Wet ‘n Wild theme park; Universal Studios Florida; Universal Islands of Adventure; Philadelphia 76ers; Philadelphia Flyers; Wells Fargo Center; iN DEMAND; Music Choice (12 percent stake); SpectrumCo (64 percent stake)
Gannett Co.
- 2011 Revenue: $5.2 billion
- Company Overview: International media company focusing on broadcast TV, print and Web content
- TV: Twenty-three television stations
- Online Holdings: CareerBuilder.com; MomsLikeMe.com; ShopLocal.com; Cars.com; Apartments.com; CareerSite.biz; Livestream.com; Metromix.com; Ongo, Inc.; Reviewed.com; SavvyShopperDeals.com; Homefinder.com; BNOT.com; Nurse.com
- Print: USA Today; over 600 magazines and other non-daily print publications; Clipper Magazine; Mint Magazine; Gannett Government Media; Gannett Education; Newsquest (U.K.)
- Other: Gannett Healthcare Group; PointRoll; Planet Discover; Schedule Star; Classified Ventures; QuadrantONE; Fantasy Sports Ventures; Captivate; Pearls Review; Gannett Offset
News Corp
- 2011 Revenue: $33.4 billion
- Company Overview: News Corp’s media holdings include the FOX Broadcasting Company; television and cable networks such as Fox, Fox Business Channel, National Geographic and FX; print publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and TV Guide; the magazines Barron’s and SmartMoney; book publisher HarperCollins; film production companies 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Blue Sky Studios; numerous websites including MarketWatch.com; and non-media holdings including the National Rugby League.
- TV: Twenty-seven television stations and FOX Broadcasting Company (FOX Network, MyNetworkTV); FOX News; FOX Business; FOX News Radio Network; FOX News Talk Channel; FSN (12 regional sports networks); FX; SPEED; FUEL TV; Fox College Sports; Fox Movie Channel; Fox Soccer Channel; Fox Soccer Plus; Fox Pan American Sports; Fox Deportes; Big Ten Network; National Geographic U.S.; Nat Geo Adventure; Nat Geo Music; Nat Geo Wild; Fox International Channels; Utilisima; Fox Crime; NEXT; FOX History & Entertainment; the Voyage Channel; STAR World; STAR Movies; NGC Network International; NGC Network Latin America; LAPTV; Movie City; City Mix; City Family; City Stars; City Vibe; the Film Zone; Cinecanal; Elite Sports Limited; BabyTV; STAR India; STAR Taiwan; ESPN STAR Sports; Shine Limited
- Online Holdings: Hulu.com (32 percent minority share)
- Print: HarperCollins Publishers; the New York Post; the Daily News; News International (the Times; the Sunday Times; the Sun); News Limited (146 newspapers in Australia); Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, SmartMoney, Factiva, Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Local Media, Dow Jones VentureSource)
- Telecom: Satellite: BSkyB (39 percent minority share); SKY Italia
- Entertainment: Fox Filmed Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox Television; Twentieth Television; Fox Television Studios
- Other: Marketing/advertising: News America Marketing Group; News Outdoor; Fox Library; IGN Entertainment, Inc.; Making Fun, Inc.; Wireless Generation
Time Warner, Inc.
- 2011 Revenue: $29 billion
- Company Overview: Time Warner is the world’s second-largest entertainment conglomerate with ownership interests in film, television and print.
- TV: One television station and the Warner Brothers Television Group; Warner Brothers Television; Warner Horizon Television; CW Network (50 percent stake); TBS; TNT; Cartoon Network; truTV; Turner Classic Movies; Boomerang; CNN; HLN; CNN International; HBO; Cinemax; Space; Infinito; I-Sat; Fashion TV; HTV; Much Music; Pogo; Mondo TV; Tabi; CNN Español
- Online Holdings: Warner Brothers Digital Distribution; TMZ.com; KidsWB.com
- Print: Time, Inc.; 22 magazines including People, Sports Illustrated, Time, Life, InStyle,Real Simple, Southern Living, Entertainment Weekly and Fortune
- Entertainment: Warner Brothers; Warner Brothers Pictures; New Line Cinema; Castle Rock; WB Studio Enterprises, Inc.; Telepictures Productions, Inc.; Warner Brothers Animation, Inc.; Warner Home Video; Warner Premiere; Warner Specialty Films, Inc.; Warner Brothers International Cinemas
- Other: Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment; DC Entertainment; DC Comics
Tribune Company
- 2010 Revenue: $3.2 billion
- Company Overview: Tribune owns 23 TV stations, one radio station, 12 daily newspapers, numerous magazines and other media properties.
- TV: Twenty-three television stations and the Food Network (30 percent stake); WGN America; CLTV Chicagoland; Tribune Entertainment
- Radio: One radio station
- Online Holdings: Zap2it.com; TribuneDirect.com; MetroMix.com (minority stake); CareerBuilder.com (minority stake); Apartments.com (minority stake); Cars.com (minority stake); ForSaleByOwner.com; HomeFinder.com (minority stake); Healthkey.com; Topix.net (minority stake)
- Print: Twelve daily newspapers (including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun and the Hartford Courant); Chicago Magazine
- Other: Tribune Media Services; Classified Ventures (minority stake)
Viacom
- 2011 Revenue: $14.9 billion
- Company Overview: Viacom is the world’s fourth-largest media conglomerate, with interests primarily in cable television networks, programming production and distribution. Viacom controls over 160 networks that reach more than 600 million people around the globe.
- TV: Viacom Media Networks (160 cable channels including MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TV Land, Spike TV, Tr3s, BET and CENTRIC)
- Online Holdings: ParentsConnect.com
- Entertainment: Viacom Filmed Entertainment (produces motion pictures under numerous studio brands including Paramount Pictures, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies)
- Other: Nickelodeon Games Group
Walt Disney Company
- 2011 Revenue: $40.1 billion
- Company Overview: The Walt Disney Company owns the ABC television network; cable networks including ESPN, the Disney Channel, SOAPnet, A&E and Lifetime; 277 radio stations, music- and book-publishing companies; film-production companies Touchstone, Miramax and Walt Disney Pictures; Pixar Animation Studios; the cellular service Disney Mobile; and theme parks around the world.
- TV: Eight television stations and the ABC television network; ESPN; Disney Channels Worldwide; ABC Family; SOAPnet Networks; A&E (42 percent stake); Lifetime Television (42 percent stake); the History Channel (42 percent stake); Lifetime Movie Network (42 percent stake); the Biography Channel (42 percent stake); History International (42 percent stake); Lifetime Real Women (42 percent stake); Live Well Network (42 percent stake)
- Radio: ESPN Radio Network; Radio Disney
- Print: ESPN The Magazine; Disney Publishing Worldwide; Juvenile Publishing; Digital Publishing; Disney Music Publishing; Marvel Publishing
- Entertainment: Marvel Entertainment; ABC Studios; ABC Media Production; Pixar; Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Records; Hollywood Records; Mammoth Records; Buena Vista Records; Lyric Street Records
- Other: Buena Vista Concerts; Disney Mobile; Disney Theatrical Productions; the Disney Store; Disney theme parks and water parks; Disney English; Disney Interactive Media Group; Disney Games; Playdom, Inc.
Washington Post Co.
- 2011 Revenue: $4.2 billion
- Company Overview: The Washington Post Company is engaged in print and online publishing of newspapers and magazines, television broadcasting and cable television systems. The company also owns Kaplan, Inc., which provides higher education services, test preparation, language instruction and professional training.
- TV: Six television stations
- Print: The Washington Post; the Herald; the Washington Post News Service; Post-Newsweek Media; Greater Washington Publishing; the Slate Group (Slate, the Root,Foreign Policy); El Tiempo Latino; Express Publications (Express, ExpressNightOut.com); Social Code; Classified Ventures (17 percent stake)
- Telecommunications: Cable ONE, Inc.
- Other: Kaplan (Kaplan Higher Education, Kaplan University, Kaplan Test Preparation, Kaplan International, Kaplan Ventures, Kaplan EduNeering, Kaplan Learning Technologies, the Kidum Group, Kaplan Continuing Education, Kaplan Global Solutions, Colloquy, Kaplan Virtual Education and Kaplan VC LLC); Avenue 100 Media Solutions, Inc.; Bowater Mersey Paper Company (49 percent stake)
Cable and Telecommunications
Access to high-speed Internet service — also known as broadband — has become a basic public necessity, just like water or electricity.
Yet despite its importance, broadband access in the United States is far from universal. Millions of Americans still stand on the wrong side of the “digital divide,” unable to tap into the political, economic and social resources of the Web. Meanwhile, cable and phone companies — which hold virtual monopolies over the infrastructure of the Internet — often refuse to build out high-speed broadband to regions that need it most, and actively seek to block communities from seeking their own broadband solutions.
Take Action to stop their shenanigans.
AT&T
- 2011 Revenue: $126.7 billion
- Company Overview: AT&T is the second-largest U.S. wireless provider and the largest company providing local phone service in the U.S. AT&T offers its wireless services to over 97 percent of the U.S. population and serves wired customers in 22 states. AT&T offers cable television services in portions of its service teritory under the brand name “U-Verse.”
- Online Holdings: Yellowpages.com; YP.com
- Other: Ingenio, Inc.; Wayport, Inc.; Superclick, Inc.; Xanaboo, Inc.; Plusmo, Inc.; Daniel IT Services, Inc.; Comergent Technologies, Inc.
Cablevision Systems Corporation
- 2011 Revenue: $6.7 billion
- Company Overview: Cablevision has 3.3 million cable TV subscribers and 3 million Internet customers. Cablevision’s local media properties include News 12 Networks, MSG Varsity and the Newsday Media Group. Cablevision also owns and operates Clearview Cinemas.
- TV: AMC; WE tv; IFC; Sundance Channel; News 12 Networks; MSG Varsity; Rainbow Media Holdings; IFC Entertainment; Rush HD; Bresnan Cable
- Print: Newsday Media Group; am New York; Star Community Publishing Group
- Entertainment: Clearview Cinemas
- Other: RASCO; PVI Virtual Media Services
CenturyLink
- 2011 Revenue: $18.7 billion
- Company Overview: CenturyLink is the third-largest telephone company in the U.S. and offers voice, video and data services to customers in 42 states.
- Other: Savvis, Inc.
Charter Communications, Inc.
- 2011 Revenue: $7.2 billion
- Company Overview: Charter is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, with systems serving customers in 26 states.
Comcast Corporation
- 2011 Revenue: $55.8 billion
- Company Overview: In 2011, the Federal Communications Commission approved Comcast’s takeover of a majority share of NBCUniversal from General Electric. This merger combines the nation’s largest cable company and residential Internet service provider and one of the world’s biggest producers of TV shows and motion pictures. Comcast’s media holdings now reach almost every home in America. It serves customers in 39 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to its vast NBCUniversal holdings, Comcast has 23.6 million cable subscribers, 18 million digital cable subscribers, 15.9 million high-speed Internet customers and 7.6 million voice customers. Comcast recently entered into a partnership with Verizon in which each company will market and sell the other’s services.
- TV: NBCUniversal; twenty-four television stations and the NBC television network; Telemundo; USA Network; SyFy; CNBC; MSNBC; Bravo; Oxygen; Chiller; CNBC World; E!; the Golf Channel; Sleuth; mun2; Universal HD; VERSUS; Style; G4; Comcast SportsNet (Philadelphia), Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (Baltimore/Washington, D.C.), Cable Sports Southeast, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, MountainWest Sports Network, Comcast SportsNet California (Sacramento), Comcast SportsNet New England (Boston), Comcast SportsNet Northwest (Portland, Ore.), Comcast Sports Southwest (Houston), Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (San Francisco), New England Cable News (Boston), Comcast Network Philadelphia, Comcast Network Mid-Atlantic (Baltimore/Washington, D.C.); the Weather Channel (25 percent stake); A&E (16 percent stake); the History Channel (16 percent stake); the Biography Channel (16 percent stake); Lifetime (16 percent stake); the Crime and Investigation Channel (16 percent stake); Pittsburgh Cable News Channel (30 percent stake); FEARnet (31 percent stake); PBS KIDS Sprout (40 percent stake); TV One (34 percent stake); Houston Regional Sports Network (23 percent stake); SportsNet New York (8 percent stake)
- Online Holdings: MSNBC.com (50 percent stake); Hulu (32 percent stake); DailyCandy; iVillage; Fandango
- Telecom: Clearwire Communications (9 percent stake)
- Other: Comcast Interactive Media; Plaxo; Universal Studios Hollywood; Wet ‘n Wild theme park; Universal Studios Florida; Universal Islands of Adventure; Philadelphia 76ers; Philadelphia Flyers; Wells Fargo Center; iN DEMAND; Music Choice (12 percent stake); SpectrumCo (64 percent stake)
Sprint Nextel Corporation
- 2011 Revenue: $33.7 billion
- Company Overview: Sprint is the third-largest U.S. wireless provider and serves more than 53 million customers.
T-Mobile USA, Inc.
- 2011 Revenue: $20.6 billion
- Company Overview: T-Mobile is the U.S. subsidiary of German-owned Deutsche Telekom and serves more than 33 million U.S. wireless customers.
Time Warner Cable, Inc.
- 2011 Revenue: $19.7 billion
- Company Overview: Time Warner Cable is the second-largest cable provider in the United States. The company formally split from its parent, Time Warner, Inc., in 2008. Time Warner now has 12.1 million cable customers and 10.2 million wireless Internet customers.
- Telecom: Time Warner Cable Media, Inc.; Clearwire (4.7 percent stake); SpectrumCo (minority stake)
- Other: NaviSite, Inc.; Canoe Ventures LLC
Verizon
- 2011 Revenue: $110.9 billion
- Company Overview: Verizon is the largest U.S. wireless provider and the second-largest company providing local phone service in the U.S. Verizon offers its wireless services to over 98 percent of the U.S. population and serves wired customers in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Verizon offers cable television services in portions of its service teritory under the brand name “FiOS.” Verizon recently entered into a partnership with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks in which each company will market and sell the other’s services.
- Other: Terremark Worldwide, Inc.
Consolidation has contributed to tough times for the newspaper industry. When the industry was swimming in profits in the 1990s, big media companies used 14–27 percent profit margins to buy up other properties rather than invest in the quality of their existing products or innovate for the future. Now they want to make it possible for a given company to own a newspaper and a broadcast station in the same market.
Take Action to save the print industry from itself.
Bertelsmann
- 2011 Revenue: $20.7 billion
- Company Overview: Bertelsmann AG is one of the world’s largest media companies, with substantial holdings in Europe and North America, including book publisher Random House, international radio and television station owner RTL Group and media firm Gruner + Jahr.
- TV: RTL Group (Europe’s largest broadcasting and production company, which controls TV and radio stations in 10 different countries, along with content production)
- Print: Random House (with over 200 imprints in 15 countries, including the Ballantine Publishing Group, the Bantam Dell Publishing Group, Broadway, the Crown Publishing Group, the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, Pantheon, Random House U.K., Transworld, Sudamericana, C. Bertelsmann, Karl Blessing Verlag, Goldmann, Siedler Verlag, Wolf Jobst Siedler Verlag, Plaza & Janes (50 percent), Grijalbo Mondadori (50 percent), the Knopf Publishing Group, the RH Adult Trade Publishing Group, RH Audio, RH Children’s Books, RH Direct, Inc., the RH Information Group, RH International, RH Large Print, RH Value Publishing, and Waterbrook Press; Gruner + Jahr (285 print titles in 20 countries)
- Other: Avarto (outsourcing provider)
Gannett Co.
- 2011 Revenue: $5.2 billion
- Company Overview: International media company focusing on broadcast TV, print and Web content
- TV: Twenty-three television stations
- Online Holdings: CareerBuilder.com; MomsLikeMe.com; ShopLocal.com; Cars.com; Apartments.com; CareerSite.biz; Livestream.com; Metromix.com; Ongo, Inc.; Reviewed.com; SavvyShopperDeals.com; Homefinder.com; BNOT.com; Nurse.com
- Print: USA Today; over 600 magazines and other non-daily print publications; Clipper Magazine; Mint Magazine; Gannett Government Media; Gannett Education; Newsquest (U.K.)
- Other: Gannett Healthcare Group; PointRoll; Planet Discover; Schedule Star; Classified Ventures; QuadrantONE; Fantasy Sports Ventures; Captivate; Pearls Review; Gannett Offset
The Hearst Corporation
- 2009 Revenue: $3.9 billion
- Company Overview: The Hearst Corporation is a media conglomerate that controls or has ownership stakes in newspaper, magazine, television, cable network and Internet properties.
- TV: Thirty-one television stations and A&E (42 percent stake); the History Channel (42 percent stake); the Biography Channel (42 percent stake); Lifetime (42 percent stake); the Crime and Investigation Channel (42 percent stake); Cosmopolitan TV; ESPN Networks (20 percent stake); ESPN Radio (20 percent stake); Current (minority stake); Reed Brennan Media Associates
- Radio: Two radio stations
- Online Holdings: Kaboodle.com; Manilla.com; RealAge.com; seattlepi.com; Brightcove.com (minority stake); BuzzFeed.com (minority stake); DoubleFusion.com (minority stake); Drugstore.com; ELNK (minority stake); Gazillion Entertainment (minority stake); Idilia (minority stake); IGG (minority stake); Mobitv (minority stake); the News Market (minority stake); Pandora (minority stake); Suzanne’s Files (minority stake); TurnHere (minority stake); Voxpop.tv (minority stake); Wideorbit.com (minority stake); WorldwideBiggies.com (minority stake); Ugo.com; Electronic Engineers Master
- Print: Twenty U.S. magazines (including Car and Driver, Cosmopolitan, Country Living,ELLE, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, O, Popular Mechanics, Redbook,Seventeen and Woman’s Day); King Features (syndicator of newspaper comic strips including Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace, Popeye); Black Book; Hearst Business Media (Electronics Products Magazine;Floor Covering Weekly); IDG/Hearst; Hearst Books; Hearst News Service
- Entertainment: Hearst Entertainment
- Other: 1-800-Free-411 (minority stake); Hearst Tower; Hearst Ranch; Hearst Service Center; First Databank; Fitch Ratings; FleetCross; Map of Medicine; MOTOR Information Systems; Stocknet; Veretech; Zynx Health; LocalEdge; Metrix4Media; CDS Global; CMG; COMAG; iCrossing; PPSB
News Corp
- 2011 Revenue: $33.4 billion
- Company Overview: News Corp’s media holdings include the FOX Broadcasting Company; television and cable networks such as Fox, Fox Business Channel, National Geographic and FX; print publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and TV Guide; the magazines Barron’s and SmartMoney; book publisher HarperCollins; film production companies 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Blue Sky Studios; numerous websites including MarketWatch.com; and non-media holdings including the National Rugby League.
- TV: Twenty-seven television stations and FOX Broadcasting Company (FOX Network, MyNetworkTV); FOX News; FOX Business; FOX News Radio Network; FOX News Talk Channel; FSN (12 regional sports networks); FX; SPEED; FUEL TV; Fox College Sports; Fox Movie Channel; Fox Soccer Channel; Fox Soccer Plus; Fox Pan American Sports; Fox Deportes; Big Ten Network; National Geographic U.S.; Nat Geo Adventure; Nat Geo Music; Nat Geo Wild; Fox International Channels; Utilisima; Fox Crime; NEXT; FOX History & Entertainment; the Voyage Channel; STAR World; STAR Movies; NGC Network International; NGC Network Latin America; LAPTV; Movie City; City Mix; City Family; City Stars; City Vibe; the Film Zone; Cinecanal; Elite Sports Limited; BabyTV; STAR India; STAR Taiwan; ESPN STAR Sports; Shine Limited
- Online Holdings: Hulu.com (32 percent minority share)
- Print: HarperCollins Publishers; the New York Post; the Daily News; News International (the Times, the Sunday Times; the Sun); News Limited (146 newspapers in Australia); Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, SmartMoney, Factiva, Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Local Media, Dow Jones VentureSource)
- Telecom: Satellite: BSkyB (39 percent minority share); SKY Italia
- Entertainment: Fox Filmed Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox Television; Twentieth Television; Fox Television Studios
- Other: Marketing/advertising: News America Marketing Group; News Outdoor; Fox Library; IGN Entertainment, Inc.; Making Fun, Inc.; Wireless Generation
Tribune Company
- 2010 Revenue: $3.2 billion
- Company Overview: Tribune owns 23 TV stations, one radio station, 12 daily newspapers, numerous magazines and other media properties.
- TV: Twenty-three television stations and the Food Network (30 percent stake); WGN America; CLTV Chicagoland; Tribune Entertainment
- Radio: One radio station
- Online Holdings: Zap2it.com; TribuneDirect.com; MetroMix.com (minority stake); CareerBuilder.com (minority stake); Apartments.com (minority stake); Cars.com (minority stake); ForSaleByOwner.com; HomeFinder.com (minority stake); Healthkey.com; Topix.net (minority stake)
- Print: Twelve daily newspapers (including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun and the Hartford Courant); Chicago Magazine
- Other: Tribune Media Services; Classified Ventures (minority stake)
Washington Post Co.
- 2011 Revenue: $4.2 billion
- Company Overview: The Washington Post Company is engaged in print and online publishing of newspapers and magazines, television broadcasting and cable television systems. The company also owns Kaplan, Inc., which provides higher education services, test preparation, language instruction and professional training.
- TV: Six television stations
- Print: The Washington Post; the Herald; the Washington Post News Service; Post-Newsweek Media; Greater Washington Publishing; the Slate Group (Slate, the Root,Foreign Policy); El Tiempo Latino; Express Publications (Express, ExpressNightOut.com); Social Code; Classified Ventures (17 percent stake)
- Telecommunications: Cable ONE, Inc.
- Other: Kaplan (Kaplan Higher Education, Kaplan University, Kaplan Test Preparation, Kaplan International, Kaplan Ventures, Kaplan EduNeering, Kaplan Learning Technologies, the Kidum Group, Kaplan Continuing Education, Kaplan Global Solutions, Colloquy, Kaplan Virtual Education and Kaplan VC LLC); Avenue 100 Media Solutions, Inc.; Bowater Mersey Paper Company (49 percent stake)
Internet
Giant companies like Apple, Facebook and Google are slowly reconstituting the Internet’s walled gardens of old. As these companies try to steer us to their increasingly closed versions of the Internet — and to marketers who benefit from mining our personal information — we must fight for policies that protect our rights as Internet users.
Take Action to stand up for your online rights.
Apple
- 2011 Revenue: $108.2 billion
- Company Overview: Apple produces the Macintosh computer system and a number of consumer electronic devices including the iPad, iPhone and iPod. It runs iTunes, the largest online music store, and distributes its products at retail stores nationwide.
- 2011 Revenue: $37.9 billion
- Company Overview: Google operates the top search engine and is the largest online advertising seller in the world. It offers a host of online services and produces the Android operating system, the top-selling mobile device OS.
- Online Holdings: YouTube; DailyDeals.com; TheDealMap.com; Fridge; BeatThatQuote.com; Slide.com; Picnik.com; reCAPTCHA.net; Postini.com; FeedBurner.com; Panoramio.com
- Entertainment: Next New Networks
- Other: DoubleClick; Motorola Mobility (pending); Teracent Corporation; Nijinsky; Clever Sense; RightsFlow; Zagat; PittPatt; Punchd; SageTV; Admeld; PostRank; TalkBin; Widevine Technologies; Phonetic Arts; SocialDeck; Teracent; AdMob; Instantiations; ITA Software; Invite Media; Adscape
Microsoft
- 2011 Revenue: $69.9 billion
- Company Overview: Microsoft produces Windows, the most widely used computer operating system in the world. It also offers a variety of software and online services, including the number-two ranked search engine, Bing.com.
- Online Holdings: Bing.com; Xbox 360
- Other: Skype
Yahoo
- 2011 Revenue: $5 billion
- Company Overview: Yahoo! is a digital media company that offers Web portals, online services such as Flickr and online advertising sales.
- Online Holdings: Rivals.com; Flickr; FoxyTunes.com; Upcoming; Wretch; CitizenSports.com; Koprol.com; FireEagle.yahoo.net; Associated Content