Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Monopolization of cultural outlets

Monopolized media is just crap, but has alot of funding.

Through their control over the FM and AM radio frequencies, corporate executives dictate to us what brand of subcultures we subscribe to. They create entire scenes, you buy into it, and they take your money. Genuine local scenes are burned at the alter of dividends.
Radio stations are licensed to organizations by the Federal Government. Since around 1925, the radio license have been monopolized by corporations, whose lawyers ensure that the Federal guidelines for what constitutes "public service", the basis for granting the radio stations a license, does not infringe upon their profiting from their monopoly over the content of the radio frequencies which they hold a license for.

"FCC Should Revoke KCOP’s License"
2013-10-10 by Steve Ross, CWA/NABET Local 53 [http://www.calaborfed.org/index.php/site/page/fcc_should_revoke_kcops_license]:
 An era quietly ended in Southern California last month, one that should not go unnoticed by the public, broadcasters or the Federal Communications Commission.
For the first time in over 50 years, KCOP-TV in Los Angeles doesn’t have a newscast. Fox Television, which owns the station, pulled the plug on its 7 pm and 11 pm news programs on September 22nd.
Throughout its history, KCOP’s newscasts were never more than a blip in the ratings, but they did help launch and further extend the careers of many fine broadcasters, including George Putnam, Regis Philbin, Hal Fishman, Warren Olney, Larry Atteberry, Rick Garcia, Sylvia Lopez, Ellen Leyva and Rick Chambers.
For many years KCOP was also one of the few independent voices for television news in Los Angeles, competing against KTTV, KTLA and KHJ (now KCAL) at 10 pm. In the 1980’s, KCOP even created an advertising campaign based on that theme – “Very Independent” – and produced some award winning newscasts and investigative stories with a very limited budget.
Sadly, that era ended long ago. Thanks to deregulation and consolidation of the broadcast industry, there are no longer any truly “independent” voices among the Los Angeles television stations. Broadcasting today is dominated and controlled by corporations – and much of what we see and hear over the airwaves in Los Angeles is decided 3,000 miles away at corporate headquarters in New York City.
That was never the intent when these broadcast licenses were issued. Radio and television stations operated under strict guidelines to serve “the public interest, convenience and necessity” – and risked losing their licenses if they didn’t provide enough news and public affairs programming.
Today, the closest thing to news and public affairs you’ll see on KCOP is TMZ and endless re-runs of Seinfeld.
Fox is treating KCOP like it’s a cable channel – which it is not.
Broadcasters still have an obligation to serve their local communities. The FCC requires "local live programs" and "programming devoted to discussion of local public issues." Further policies call for an "opportunity for local self-expression" and "the development and use of local talent."
Where are those programs on KCOP?
These are not just abstract ideas for NABET members and others who work in the broadcast industry. Corporate control of broadcasting has not only silenced local independent voices, it has eliminated thousands of union jobs around the country.
It’s time to put a stop to this -- or we will see other corporate carpetbaggers do exactly what Fox has done, not only at KCOP, but at WWOR-TV in New Jersey – another Fox station that recently had its newscast dropped.
New Jersey residents have long complained that WWOR was more focused on covering New York City than it was in serving New Jersey. The late New Jersey senator Frank Lautenberg even went so far as ask the FCC to revoke WWOR’s license, because it “has not served New Jersey well.”
Following Lautenberg’s death in June, New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez took up the cause, calling for a review of WWOR’s license.
Menendez wrote in a letter to Mignon Clyburn, the acting chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission [http://www.menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/press/sen-menendez-calls-upon-fcc-to-review-wwors-license-following-closing-of-news-division]: "It is becoming increasingly critical that the FCC make a determination about WWOR’s license and whether they are adequately serving New Jersey as the law and FCC rules stipulate.  From my perspective, News Corporation (Fox) is not."
The people of New Jersey deserve better. So do those of us in Southern California.
KCOP’s license comes up for renewal with the FCC in 2014. I am calling on California senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to challenge that renewal and to have KCOP’s license reassigned to a broadcaster worthy of having it.


"Hip Hop, White Supremacy & Capitalism"   
      
2013-11-10 from "YourWorldNewsFilms" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc32ZXnHxus]: 
This is version one of the brand new documentary corporations won't want you to view and study. If you are upset at the way corporations have co-opted Hip Hop and re-sold it in the most racist, hyper-violent, and misogynistic ways possible, then this is a film you must watch. "Hip Hop, White Supremacy & Capitalism: Why Corporations Infiltrated RAP Music" is an incredibly powerful and in-depth film focusing on the nefarious role corporations have played in co-opting Hip Hop Music (RAP), suppressing socially and politically progressive messages, while creating and promoting the most racist, misogynistic and hyper-violent images.    
"Hip Hop, White Supremacy & Capitalism: Why Corporations Infiltrated RAP Music" exposes seldom discussed facts regarding the relationship between Hip Hop and Corporations. This film features Hip Hop artists like: Narubi Selah, Capital-X, The Welfare Poets, Jasiri-X and media activists like: Rosa Clemente, Dr. Jared Ball, Paul Porter and Solomon Comissiong.    
This documentary also showcases a ton of Hip Hop footage that places its focus in brilliant context for viewers. To say this film is a "MUST SEE" might be an understatement. This film should be used a tool to mobilize, galvanize and organize communities to reject Corporate Back Hip Hop, Create Alternative Media and to Support Hip Hop Artists whose music uplifts, empowers and educates its audiences


"Hip-Hop is Dead (on the radio); KWIN & Hot 104.7: A Case Study"
2012-02-25 by "Revolutionary Hip-Hop Report [rhhr.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/hip-hop-is-dead-on-the-radio/]:
the radio feeds young america hysteria, thru your stereo, now they wanna cop a new whip, jewelry, and a pair of those brand new sneakers from their favorite rap crew…corporations clap to your music, their hip to your sound, but in the underground, you don’t add to the movement, greedy white man controlin you rappers and controlin the audience, with party-jams, paychecks, and royalties, it’s all politics” -Nikfuq                                   
This table is of 60 songs, 30 from each station, played during a 2 hour period in the middle of a weekday:

bold = song or artist played more than once on either station = 82%
italics = artist played at the same time on both stations = happened 4 times, 1 time the same song was playing on both stations                                            
* = song played on both stations, ** = song played twice on same station, altogether = 50%

9 artists, featured on 36 songs (Drake, Rhianna, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Flo Rida, Usher, Pitbull, Chris Brown, & T-Pain) were on 60% of the songs played.
7 songs, played 3 times each (David Guetta/Usher – Without You, Rihanna – We Found Love, Jay-Z/Kanye West – Niggas in Paris, Flo Rida – Good Feeling, Rihanna – You Da One, J. Cole – Workout, Drake/Nicki Minaj – Make Me Proud) made up 35% of what was played

34 songs (57%) are from the Universal Music Group, 16 (27%) are Sony Music Entertainment, 5 are from Warner Music Group, and 3 are from EMI Group, also known as the “Big 4.”
83% were from either Universal or Sony, 97% (58 out of 60 songs) are from 1 of the “Big 4.”

KWIN is owned by Citidel Broadcasting, owner of 250 radio station nation-wide. Locally, Citadel owns KHOP, The Hawk, KAT Country, and ESPN Radio. Hot 104.7 is owned by Buckley Broadcasting, which owns 20 other radio stations.




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