My Sources

I am a news junkie and I've been one for a long time. Unfortunately most of the news outlets in the U.S. are pretty bad. Corporate media has made a mockery of good journalism. When big stories come around I find that the coverage from big media is lacking on many, many levels.

The terrible journalism of corporate media has forced me to seek out new and better sources of news.

I have come to depend on NPR (National Public Radio) for good unbiased news coverage. I listen to NPR on a daily basis and am rarely disappointed.

I have also found several good online news resources, such as the BBC. There are also many independent media outlets online. It's nice to know that even though corporate media dominates there are great alternatives.

Finally the place that I look for great commentary and opinion is not The New York Times but blogs. I have found great and insightful commentary on current events on blogs. In fact I would go so far as to say the commentary on many of my favorite blogs is much better than that of commercial media.

When I hear of a big news story and I want insight I go directly to blogs. The CNN's of the world are now just a distant bad memory.

Go Blogs!

Where do you get most of your news and opinion?

Do you rely on corporate media for news and information?

On the media: Part six

This is the sixth and final post in a series looking at the big six U.S. media companies. Today we look at Viacom.

2006 revenues: $11.5 billion

Television Holdings

Networks: MTV Music Television, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, TV Land, VH1, Spike TV, CMT: Country Music Television, Comedy Central, MTV U, LOGO, MTV World, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Comedy, The Box, Game One, Viva, TMF (The Music Factory), MTV Network Europe, MTV base, BET, BET Jazz, BET Gospel, BET Hip Hop.

Production: BET Event Production, MTV Productions

Programming: BET Hip Hop, Noggin, Nick Gas, Turbo Nick, Nicktoons Network, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, MTV Tr3s, MTV Jams, mtvU, mHD, MTV World, The N, VH1 Classic, VHUno, VH1 Soul, VH1 Country.

Radio

MTV Radio, BET Radio, Imagine Radio Limited

Publishing

Music: Famous Music Publishing Co., The Extreme Music Library, Director�s Cuts Production Music

Magazines: Nickelodeon Magazine

Film

Production: Paramount Pictures (including DreamWorks SKG), Paramount Home Entertainment, iFilm Corp, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies.

Online Holdings

MTV.com, VH1.com, Spiketv.com, ComedyCentral.com, Nick.com, GT.TV, GameTrailers.com, Neopets Inc, MTVi Group, SonicNet.com, GoCityKids.com, Comedy Central�s MotherLoad, MTV Overdrive, VH1 Vspot, BET.com, BET on Blast, Cmt.com, TurboNick, Quizilla, Nick Jr. Video, The Click, Nicktropolis, Addictinggames.com, Shockwave.com, ParentsConnect.com, Atomfilms.com.

Other Holdings

MTV Networks International, Famous Players (theatrical exhibitor, Canada, with 50% interest in Mann Theaters), Xfire (gaming), MTV Mobile, BET Mobile, Harmonix, Y2M: Youth Media & Marketing, Rhapsody (part ownership).

On the media: Part five

This is part five of six in a series of posts looking at the big six U.S. media companies. Today we look at CBS Corp.

CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS, NYSE: CBSA) is an American media conglomerate focused on broadcasting, publishing, billboards, and television production, with most of its operations in the United States.

The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, whose company National Amusements is CBS's majority shareholder, serves as Chairman. The company came into being on December 31, 2005 and began trading on the NYSE on January 3, 2006. It is the legal successor to the "old" Viacom.

CBS Corp.

2006 revenues: $14.3 billion

Television Holdings

Networks: CBS Network, Showtime Networks, Inc. (SNI) owns Showtime, the Movie Channel, Flix, Showtime Too, Showtime Showcase, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Beyond, Showtime Next, Showtime Women, Showtime Familyzone, TMC XTRA, Showtime HD, the Movie Channel HD, Showtime on Demand, Sundance Channel (joint venture, SNI owns 30%), Showtime PPV, CBS Entertainment, CBS News, CBS Sports, CSTV Networks, Inc.

CBS Network consists of 27 stations.

Programming: CBS Television Distribution: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Survivor, Everybody Loves Raymond, Jeopardy!, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Entertainment Tonight, The Early Show, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Face the Nation, CW Network (50% with Time Warner), CBS Paramount TV, CSTV Networks, MountainWest Sports Network (50%), Smithsonian Networks (90%).

Radio

CBS Radio owns 140 radio stations in 31 markets; most of these are in the nation’s top 50 markets.

Publishing

Books:
Simon & Schuster: Atria Books, Kaplan, Pocket Books, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, The Free Press, The Touchstone, Fireside Group

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing: Aladdin Paperbacks, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Little Simon, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Simon Pulse, Simon Spotlight

Other Publishing: Simon & Schuster New Media, Simon & Schuster Online, Simon & Schuster UK, Simon & Schuster Australia, MTV Books

Online Holdings

Internet: CBS.com, CBSNews.com, CBS Interactive, CBSSportsline.com, CBSGames.com, MaxPreps.com, NFL.com, NCAAsports.com, OurChart.com (85%), ParentConnect.com, PGATour.com, Sho.com, Innertube, CSTV.com, TheShowBuzz.com.

Other Holdings

CBS owns CBS Outdoor, CBS Consumer Products, and Star Trek: The Experience (themed attraction at Las Vegas Hilton), and manages Bonfante Gardens horticultural theme park (Gilroy, CA) and CBS Television City at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, NV).

Source Attribution: Free Press.net, PBS, Wikipedia

On the media: Part four

This is part four of six in a series of posts looking at the holdings of America's biggest media companies. Today we look at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

News Corporation

2006 revenues: $25.3 billion

Television Holdings

Networks: Fox, Fox Business Channel, STAR (satellite television in Asia), Fox Movie Channel, Fox News Channel, Fox College Sports, Fox Sports Enterprises, Fox Regional Sports Networks (14 owned and operated), Fox Sports En Espanol, Fox Sports Net, Fox Sports Net Bay Area (40%), Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Reality, Fox Pan American Sports (38%), Premier Media Group (Australia 50%), Premium Movie Partnership (Australia 20%), Cine Canal (Latin America 23%), Telecine (Latin America 13%), FUEL TV, FX, National Geographic Channel (US 67% and Worldwide 50%), SPEED Channel, National Sports Partners, National Advertising Partners, My Network TV, Fox Television Studios

In the United States, News Corp. owns 35 television stations.

Satellite Television:
Europe: SKY Italia includes Sky Sport, Calcio Sky, Sky Cinema, Sky TG 24; British Sky Broadcasting (37%) includes Sky News, Sky Sports, Sky Travel, Sky One, Sky Movies

Latin America:Sky Latin America DBS Platforms include Brazil (Sky Brasil 50%), Irect TV Latin America
Asia:Space TV (India DBS 20%), Phoenix Satellite Television (38%), Hathway Cable and Datacom (26%), China Network Systems (17 affiliated cable systems), BSkyB (38%), DIRECTTV, SKY Italia.

United States: DIRECTV Group (38%)

Programming: Special Report with Brit Hume, Fox Report with Shepard Smith, On the Record With Greta Van Susteren, Fox News Sunday, The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity and Colmes

Publishing

Magazines: Barron’s, SmartMoney, Big League, InsideOut, donna hay, News America Marketing (In-Store, FSI (SmartSource), SmartSource iGroup, News Marketing Canada), Alpha, The Weekly Standard, Gemstart — TV Guide International, Inc.(41%), The Weekend Australian Magazine, sundaymagazine, body + soul, STM (WA), home, TVGuide, News Magazine (Australia)

Newspapers:
Australia/Asia: More than 110 titles including: Daily Telegraph, Fiji Times, Nai Lalakai, Shanti Dut, Gold Coast Bulletin, Herald Sun, Newsphotos, Newspix, Newstext, NT News, Papua New Guinea Post-Courier (63%), Sunday Herald Sun, Sunday Mail, Sunday Tasmanian, Sunday Times, Sunday Territorian, The Advertiser, The Australian, The Courier-Mail, The Mercury, The Sunday Mail, The Sunday Telegraph, Weekly Times, The Weekend Australian, MX, Brisbane News, Northern Territory News, Cumberland (NSW), Leader (VIC), Quest (QLD), Messenger (SA), Community (WA), Darwin Sun/Palmerson Sun (NT).

United Kingdom: News of the World, The Sun, The Sunday Times, The Times, News International

United States: Newspaper holdings include The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post; News Corp. also acquired the Ottoway group of community newspapers through its takeover of Dow Jones in 2007.

Books: HarperCollins Publishers, Zondervan.

Film

Production and Distribution: Fox Film Entertainment: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, Fox 2000 Pictures, 20th Century Fox Espanol, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising, 20th Century Fox International, 20th Century Fox Television, Fox Television Studios, 20th Television, Regency Television (50%), Blue Sky Studios, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Music, Fox Studios Australia, Fox Studios Baja (Latin America), Canal Fox (Latin America), Balaji Telefilms (26%, Asia), 20th Century Fox Animation

Radio

Stations: Radio Veronica (Netherlands), Classic FM (Netherlands), Sky Radio Denmark, Sky Radio Germany, Sky Radio Netherlands. Sky Radio (93%).

Online Holdings

Fox Interactive Media manages Fox’s online holdings, which include MySpace.com, Scout.com (a college sports site), ign.com (internet gaming), Simply Hired (an online job search site), FoxSports.com, Fox News.com, Fox.com, Intermix, IGN.com, IGN.com.au, NYPost.com, MSN.Foxsports.com, WeeklyStandard.com, Broadsystem.com, NewsOptimus.co.uk, NewsOutdoor.com, RottenTomatoes, Scout.com, Fox.com, AmericanIdol.com, MarketWatch.com, Hulu.com (50%).

Fox is also now offering a mobile entertainment package called Mobizzo on Cingular and T-Mobile phones.

Other Holdings

International media companies: News Limited (Australia), News Optimus Ltd. (in UK).

Outdoor advertising: News Outdoor.

Sports: National Rugby League, Stats, Inc..

Misc.: Nursery World, Stats, Inc., Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. (41%), NDS (74%), Staples Center (40%).

Europe: NDS (76%), Broadsystem Ventures, Convoys Group, News Outdoor Group (75%), Balkan News Corporation

Australia and New Zealand: News Interactive, Sky Network Television Limited (44%).

Source Attribution: Free Press.net, PBS

On the media: Part three

This is part three of our look at the big six media companies in the U.S. Today we look at The Walt Disney Company.

The Walt Disney Company

2006 revenues: $34.3 billion

Television Holdings

Disney Media Networks, a company whose holdings include:

The ABC Television Network: ABC Entertainment, ABC Daytime, ABC News, ABC Sports, ABC Television, ABC Kids, and Touchstone Television.

Cable Networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN PPV, ESPN Deportes, ESPN International, ESPN Classic Sport Europe, ESPN Latin America, ESPN Asia, ESPNU, ESPN2 HD, Disney Channel (cable and satellite), International Disney Channels, Toon Disney, SOAPnet, ABC Family Channel, JETIX Europe, JETIX Latin America, A&E Television Networks (37.5% equity; includes A&E, the History Channel, the Biography Channel, History International, A&E International), Lifetime Entertainment Services (50% equity; includes Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime Radio for Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment), E! Networks (39.6% equity; includes E! Entertainment Television, the Style Network), Buena Vista Television, Walt Disney Television

The ABC Television Network has 226 affiliated stations reaching 99 percent of all U.S. television households. The company owns and operates ten ABC television stations in the nation’s top markets.

Programming: Good Morning America, World News with Charles Gibson, World News Now, 20/20, Primetime, This Week With George Stephanopoulos, ESPNU

Radio Holdings

Through its controlling stake in Citadel Broadcasting Corporation, Disney owns 227 radio stations in the United States.

Publishing

Magazines: Family Fun, ESPN the Magazine, Buena Vista Magazines Wonder Time, and Disney Adventures

Music: Buena Vista Music Group distributes music and motion picture soundtracks under its four labels: Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records, Buena Vista Records, Lyric Street Records.

Books: Disney Publishing, a subsidiary of the Company, owns Hyperion Books, Hyperion Books for Children, Disney Press, Disney Editions, and Disney Adventures, Mirimax, ESPN books, ABC Daytime Press, Hyperion East, Hyperion Audiobooks, Volo, Jump at the Sun, Disney Libri (Italy), Disney Hachette JV (France)

Film

Production and Distribution: Walt Disney Pictures (includes Walt Disney Feature Animation and DisneyToon Studios), Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, Pixar Animation Studios, Hollywood Pictures, Buena Vista International, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment International, and Buena Vista Theatrical Group (includes Disney Theatrical Productions and Disney Live Family Entertainment).

Online Holdings

Broadband channels ABC News Now and ESPN360
Disney’s Blast, broadband entertainment for children
Subscription-Based internet services: Playhouse Disney Preschool Time Online, for toddlers; Disney Connection, for children; Disney’s Toontown Online, for families
Websites: ABC.com, ABCNews.com, Oscar.com, Disney.com, Disneychannel.com, Family.com, ESPN.com, Familyfun.com, Go.com, Soccernet.co (60%), NFL.com, NBA.com, NASCAR.com, Toysmart.com (partial), Go Network, www.disneysgamecafe.com, ESPN.com, Abcsports.com, ESPNdeportes.com, Movies.com, Wondertime.com

Other Holdings

Parks and Resorts: Disneyland (CA), Walt Disney World Resort (FL), Disneyland Resort Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and DisneyVacation Club, Euro Disney, Walt Disney World (separate from Resort), Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, WD Studio Park, WD Tokyo, Sea Disney-MGM Studios, Disney Animal Kingdom, and ESPNZone.

Consumer Products: Disney Hardlines, Disney Softlines, Disney Toys, Buena Vista Games, the Baby Einstein Company, Muppets Holding Company, Disney Direct Marketing’s catalog and website (DisneyShopping.com) and Disney Stores.

Disney also owns Mobile ESPN and has launched the cellular service Disney Mobile.

Source Attribution: Free Press.net, PBS

On the media: Part two

This is part two of six profiling the six major media companies in the U.S., today we look at TimeWarner the largest media conglomerate in the world.

TimeWarner

2006 revenues: $44.2 billion

TV Holdings

Network: the CW (a joint venture with CBS), Kids' WB, Telepictures Productions, Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO, Cinemax, HBO Sports, HBO Pay-Per-View, HBO Video, HBO Independent Productions, HBO Multiplexes, HBO on Demand, Cinemax Multiplexes, Cinemax on Demand, HBO HD, Cinemax HD, as well as HBO channels around the world), Court TV (50% Time Warner, 50% Liberty Media), TBS, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network Europe, Cartoon Network Latin America, Cartoon Network Studios, Cartoon Network Asia Pacific, Cartoon Network Japan (70% share), NBC/Turner, Williams St. Studio, New Line Television, Turner Classic Movies, TCM Europe, TCM Asia Pacific, TCM Classic Hollywood in Latin America, Turner Network Television, Turner South, TNT, TNT HD, TNT Latin America, TNT CNN / US, CNN Airport Network, CNN International, CNN Headline News, CNN Headline News in Asia Pacific, CNN Headline News in Latin America, CNN en Espa�ol, CNN en Espa�ol Radio, CNNj, CNN+, CNN Turk, CNN-IBN, CNNfn, CNN International, CNN Mobile, CNN Newsource, CNN Pipeline, CNN to go, CETV (China), n-tv (German news network; Turner owns interest), BOING (family channel in Italy; joint venture with Mediaset)

Local cable news channels: Capital News 9 Albany, Albany, NY; MetroSports, Kansas City, MO; News 8 Austin, Austin, TX; News 10 Now — Syracuse, Syracuse, NY; News 14 Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, NC; News 14 Carolina-Raleigh, Raleigh, NC; NY1 News, New York, NY; R News, Rochester, NY; Urban Cableworks of Philadelphia (joint venture with Urban Cableworks); Texas and Kansas City Cable Partners, LP (joint venture with Comcast)

Programming: American Morning, CNN Newsroom, Live From The Situation Room, Lou Dobbs Tonight, Larry King Live, Anderson Cooper 360

On Demand Services: Video on Demand, Digital Video Recorders, High Definition Television, Local News Channels

Online Holdings

America Online: AOL, AOL.com, AOL Instant Messenger, AOL Wireless, AOL Music Now, AOL Local, CNN.com, CNNMoney.com, CNNStudentNews.com, CompuServe, ICQ, inStore, KOL, McAfee VirusScan Online (bundled with AOL services), MapQuest, Moviefone, Movietickets.com, Netscape, RED, Singingfish, Advertising.com, AOL by Phone, AOL Call Alert, AOL CityGuide, AOL PassCode, AOL Voicemail, MusicNet@AOL, Tegic Communications, Inc., Truveo, Weblogs, Wildseed, Xdrive, AOL Europe (France, Germany, the U.K. and Luxembourg), America Online Latino (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico), AOLnet, America Online�s Access, America Online�s Audience, AOL High Speed (a partnership with BellSouth, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, and other DSL providers to offer broadband internet access.)

Time Warner Cable Inc.: Digital Phone (Internet protocol-based voice service), RoadRunner, and RoadRunner-Business Class.

SI.com, People.com, Pipeline, GameTap, CartoonNetwork.com, DCComics.com, Time.com, VeryFunnyAds.com, Cwtv.com, Golf.com.

Film

Production: Subsidiary The Warner Bros. Entertainment Group owns: Warner Bros. Pictures, Castle Rock, Warner Independent Pictures, a joint venture with Village Roadshow Pictures, and a joint venture with Alcon Entertainment, Warner Home Video.

Warner Bros. International Cinemas

Subsidiary New Line owns: New Line Cinema and Fine Line Features.

Picturehouse is a joint venture between HBO and New Line.

Publishing

Time, Inc. controls: Time Warner Book Group (with publishing companies The Mysterious Press, Time Warner Book Group UK, Warner Faith, Warner Vision, Warner Business Books, Aspect, and Little, Brown and Company (including Little, Brown Adult Trade, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Back Bay, and Bulfinch Press); Oxmoor House, Inc., Leisure Arts, Inc., Sunset Books, Books-of-the-Month Club, Inc., Southern Progress Corporation, Parenting Group, Time 4Media (publishes 17 magazines worldwide), Grupo Editorial Expansion (publishes 15 magazines in Mexico)

Over 150 Magazines: 25 Beautiful Gardens, 25 Beautiful Homes, 25 Beautiful Kitchens, 4x4, Aeroplane, All You, Amateur Gardening, Amateur Photographer, Ambientes, Angler’s Mail, Audi Magazine, Balance, Bird Keeper, BMX Business News, Bride to Be, Business 2.0, Cage & Aviary Birds, Caravan, Center Street, Chat, Chilango, Classic Boat, Coastal Living, Cooking Light, Cottage Living, Country Homes & Interiors, Country Life, Cycle Sport, Cycling Weekly, Decanter, Elle (joint venture), English Woman’s Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Essence (joint venture), Essentials, EXP, Expansion, European Boat Builder, Eventing, Family Circle (U.K.), Field & Stream, Fortune, Fortune Asia, Fortune Europe, FSB: Fortune Small Business, Golf Monthly, Guitar, Hair, Health, Hi-Fi News, Homes & Gardens, Horse, Horse & Hound, Ideal Home, In Style, In Style Australia, In Style U.K., International Boat Industry, IPC, Land Rover World, Leisure Arts, Life, Life and Style, Livingetc, Loaded, Manufactura, Marie Claire (joint venture), MBR-Mountain Bike Rider, MiniWorld, Mizz, Model Collector, Money, Motor Boat & Yachting, Motor Boats Monthly, Motor Caravan, NME, Now, Nuts, Obras, Outdoor Life, Oxmoor House, Park Home & Holiday Caravan, People, People en Espanol, Pick Me Up, Popular Science, Practical Boat Owner, Practical Parenting, Prediction, Progressive Farmer, Quad Off-Road Magazine, Quien, Quo (joint venture), Racecar Engineering, Real Simple, Ride BMX, Rugby World, Salt Water Sportsman, Ships Monthly, Shoot Monthly, Shooting Times, Ski, Skiing, Soaplife, Southern Accents, Southern Living, Sporting Gun, Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Stamp Magazine, Sunset, Superbike, Synapse, Teen People, the Field, the Golf, the Railway Magazine, the Shooting Gazette, This Old House, This Old House Ventures, Time, Time Asia, Time Atlantic, Time Canada, Time for Kids, Time Pacific, TrandWorld Business, TransWorld Motocross, TransWorld Skateboarding, TransWorld Snowboarding, TransWorld Surf, TV & Satellite Week, TV Easy, TVTimes, Uncut, VolksWorld, Vuelo, Wallpaper, Wallpaper Navigator Webuser, Wedding, What Camera, What Digital Camera, What’s on TV, Who, Woman, Woman & Golf, Woman & Home, Woman’s Own, Woman”s Weekly, World Soccer, Yachting, Yachts, Yachting Monthly, and Yachting World.

Joint Ventures: Avantages S.A., BOOKSPAN, Elle, European Magazines Limited Marie Claire (U.K.), and Quo.

Other Holdings

Marketing businesses: Synapse Group Inc. and Targeted Media, Inc.

Other: CNNRadio, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc., Monolith Productions (game developer), Warner Bros. Games, GameTap, Warner Bros. Consumer Products Inc. (licensing), HBO Properties (licensing and merchandising), Warner Bros. International Cinemas, New Line International Releasing, New Line Merchandising and Licensing, Warner Bros. Animation (including Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes), Warner Bros. Online (distribution), Time Warner Investments, Time Warner Telecom Inc. (aggregate interest of 44%), New Line Music, New Line Theatricals, NASCAR.com, PGA.com, MusicNow

Partnerships

As a result of the aquisition of Adelphia Communications, Time Warner will shuffle certain cable operations with Comcast to give each a greater concentration of customers in the former Adelphia service areas.

Time Warner's areas of enhanced concentration include: Southern California (Los Angeles), Maine, Western New York, North Carolina, Ohio (Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus), South Carolina, Texas (Dallas).

Source Attribution: Free Press.net, PBS

On the media

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at big media companies and what they own. The major American media companies own so much that I'll need to list the holdings of a different media company each day for the next six days. The companies I will look at are; General Electric, TimeWarner, Walt Disney, News Corp., CBS Corp. and Viacom. These media giants are known as the big six.

General Electric

2006 revenues: $163.4 billion

TV Holdings

Cable: A&E, History Channel (part), NBC Entertainment, NBC News, NBC Sports, NBC Television, NBC Universal, CNBC, CNBC World (Arabia, India, Asia, Europe), MSNBC, Bravo, Sci Fi Channel, Sundance Channel (part), Trio, Telemundo, USA, and Weather Plus

Production and distribution companies: NBC Universal Television Studio, NBC Universal Television Distribution

26 television stations, owned under the “NBC Universal” division. These include NBC affiliates, Univision affiliates, and a small number of independents.

International Channels: 13eme Rue (France), 13th Street (Germany), Calle 13 (Spain), Sci Fi Channel UK, Studio Universal (Germany), Studio Universal (Italy), Universal Channel (Latin America), CNBC Asia, and CNBC Europe

Programming: NBC Network News, NBC Universal Global Networks, NBC Universal International Channels, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Dateline NBC, Meet the Press, Early Today, CNBC, Squawk Box, Mad Money, Tim Russert, CNBC World, CNBC Arabia, CNBC-India TV-18, Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Rita Cosby Specials Unit, Morning Joe, Mun2, Sleuth, A&E [part], The History Channel [part], The Sundance Channel [part], ShopNBC (27%), Ion Media Networks, Universal HD,

Film

Production: NBC Universal (80% ownership): Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Rogue Pictures. Universal has production agreements with Imagine Entertainment, Jersey Films, Tribeca Films, Shady Acres, the Kennedy/Marshall Company, Playtone Company, Strike Entertainment, Type A Films, Depth of Field, Stephen Sommers and Working Title Films (Europe)

Publishing

SciFi Magazine

Online Holdings

CNBC.com, NBC.com, iVillage.com, Scifi.com, telemundo.com, nbbc.com, hulu.com (a joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp.)

Other Holdings

Military Production: Manufactures and maintains engines for the F-16 Fighter jet, Abrams tank, Apache helicopter, U2 Bomber, Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV), A-10 aircraft, and numerous military equipment including planes, helicopters, tanks, and more.

Parks: Universal Studios Theme Parks and Resorts (Orlando, FL; Hollywood, CA; Costa Durada, Spain; Universal City, Japan)

Consumer Products: NBC Stores, ShopNBC

Other:

* Tivo (part)

* GE Commercial Finance: GE Capital Aviation Services, GE Commercial Equipment Financing, GE Corporate Financial Services, GE Structured Finance Global Energy Unit, GE Fleet Services, GE Healthcare Financial Services, GE Real Estate, GE Vendor Financial Services

* GE Advanced Materials (engineering of thermoplastics, silicon-based products and technology platforms, and fused quartz and ceramics).

* GE Consumer & Industrial (appliances, lighting, and Industrial Systems).

* GE Energy (technology for the oil and gas, power generation and energy management industries, including nuclear)

* GE Healthcare (diagnostic and interventional medical imaging, information and services technology)

* GE Infrastructure (comprised of GE Water Technologies, GE Silicones, GE Superabrasives, and GE Quartz, commercial aviation financing, and serves various industries including cosmetics, semi-conductors, oil drilling, construction and telecommunications)

* GE Insurance (insurance and investment products for businesses and individuals)

* GE Money

* GE Transportation (serving the aviation, rail, marine and off-highway industries with jet engines for military and civil aircraft, freight and passenger locomotives, motorized systems for mining trucks and drills, and gas turbines for marine and industrial applications)

Source Attribution: Free Press.net, PBS

Program Alert!

African American Lives part 2 is on tonight in most markets on PBS. I saw the first African American lives last year and found it very interesting. This year as last year Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps African American celebrities like comedian Chris Rock and Track legend Jackie Joyner Kersee trace their African roots.

If there is a part 3 next year I hope they will find non-celebs to do this with. I think that might be more interesting; if for instance they picked some kid who was going down the wrong path and showed him or her their true family history it might make a big difference in their lives.

Anyway I plan on watching!

Why isn't the media talking about the Bush-Clinton Dynasty?

I have been wondering why the so-called mainstream media has not been talking about the Bush-Clinton Dynasty. Those two families have headed the United States government since 1989. That's right since 1989, seems hard to believe but it's true.

So why wouldn’t the media talk about something so obvious?

Could it be that the Bush-Clinton Dynasty has been very, very good to the giant media conglomerates? Bill Clinton after all relaxed media ownership rules with the Telecommunications Act of 1996. And the current President Bush has continued down that road with his appointed FCC.


Just this past December Bush controlled Federal Communications Commission (FCC) once again relaxed media ownership rules. The FCC voted in December to allow media cross-ownership; which means that a media company may now own a TV station and newspaper in the same market. The rule banning such ownership had been in effect since 1975.

It is not in the Medias best interest to remind voters that another Clinton in the White House would mean an unprecedented amount of time that just two families would control the Executive branch of our government.

The question is; what is in our best interest?

What do you think?

Is the media participating in a conspiracy of silence on this?

Do you think the media is quietly trying to influence the race?

Blackface 2008?

Angelina Jolie in "Blackface" as Mariane Pearl

The real Mariane Pearl

Angelina Jolie without "Blackface"

The NAACP has announced it's nominees for the 2008 Image Awards. Among a few controversial nominations this year is the nomination of Angelina Jolie. Ms Jolie has been nominated for playing the part of Mariane Pearl. Ms Pearl is the wife of the late Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Mr Pearl was killed in Pakistan in 2002 by extremists. The film A Mighty Heart (2007) in which Ms Jolie stars is the story of Mr Pearl's kidnapping and murder.

So the question is; why would the NAACP honor Ms Jolie with a nomination for portraying a bi-racial woman, Ms Pearl? Mariane Pearl is of Afro-Cuban and Dutch ancestry and was born in France.

As you can see from the photos above Ms Jolie had to use make-up to 'darken' herself for the portrayal.

Sophie Okonedo

Many are upset that a woman of African decent was not chosen for the role. I for one think Hotel Rwanda star and Academy Award nominee Sophie Okonedo would have been perfect for the role. First because she is a great actor but also she happens to be bi-racial.

What do you think?

Is the NAACP's nomination of Ms Jolie's "Blackface" performance an insult to African Americans and Black people?

Is this further evidence that the NAACP is totally lost and irrelevant?

Also does this show a lack of respect for Black actresses by the NAACP?

Black Women: Violent and Vulgar

Set It Off (1996)/ New Line Cinema

According to The Entman-Rojecki Index of Race and the Media (by Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki, authors of The Black Image in the White Mind)

In the top movies of 1996:

Black female movie characters shown using vulgar profanity: 89%.

White female movie characters shown using vulgar profanity: 17%.

Black female movie characters shown being physically violent: 56%.

White female movie characters shown being physically violent: 11%.

Black female movie characters shown being restrained: 55%.

White female movie characters shown being restrained: 6%.

African-American Women: Where They Stand, NBC To Attack Black Women With (more) Propaganda

Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behaviour to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.

– Garth S. Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell, Propaganda And Persuasion

I read about this at the blog What About Our Daughters?. NBC is doing a week of reports on the NBC Nightly News about Black women. And as anyone knows who knows anything about corporate media, any report about Black people is going to be negative. So starting Monday be prepared for an onslaught of negative stories about Black women.

As Gina at What About Our Daughters? points out, they will be doing a segment about Black women going to college in record numbers. But they some how manage to look at that as a bad thing, since more Black women are in college than Black men. I wonder if they will mention that there are more White women in College than White men?

Last week I wrote a post called African Americans Are More Likely To _______ (Fill in the black with some thing bad). I talked about the constant barrage of negative reports and studies telling us that everything about us is bad. I warned that a new week was coming so be prepared for the media attacks to continue. Well here it comes, don't say I didn't warn you.

Note: So-called studies about African Americans are never broken down by economic class. They just say 'African Americans are'. So this presumes that all the ills of the Black community are due to our inferiority rather than lifestyle.

I've hi-lighted some of the negativity indicators below in red.

From the NBC website

African American Women: Where They Stand

A five-part series to air beginning Monday, Nov. 26

Throughout the week of November 26, "NBC News With Brian Williams" will take a look at the issues facing African-American women across our nation in a new series "African-American Women: Where They Stand." The series will cover a wide-range of issues from their role in the '08 Presidential race, to the increased health-risks that they need to be concerned about.

Monday's installment will discuss African-American women's progress in the education field. Nearly two-thirds of African-American undergraduates are women. At black colleges, the ratio of women to men is 7 to 1. And that is leading to a disparity in the number of African-American women who go on to own their own businesses. Rehema Ellis will talk to educators, students and businesswomen about why this disparity exists.

Tuesday, Ellis will look at relationships within the African-American female community. Many agree the gender disparity in education and business among African-Americans is having an effect on relationships that African American women have. Some even say the implications could redefine "Black America's family and social structure." In the past fifty years, the percentage of African-American women between 25-54 who have never been married has doubled from 20% to 40%. (Compared to just 16% of white women who have never been married today). Ellis sits down with the members of a Chicago book club and talk about this difference and how it impacts them.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman will discuss the increases risks for breast cancer for African-American women on Wednesday. Mortality rates for African-American women are higher than any other racial or ethnic group for nearly every major cause of death, including breast cancer. Black women with breast cancer are nearly 30% more likely to die from it than white women. Premenopausal black women are more than twice as likely to get a more aggressive form of the disease. And, not only are African-American women more likely to die from breast cancer, but they're less likely to get life-saving treatments. Dr. Snyderman will profile one of the only oncologists in the world who specializes in the treatment of African-American women with breast cancer.

On Thursday, Ron Allen will take viewers to South Carolina -- the first southern primary state -- and ask the question: Will race trump gender or gender trump race? In South Carolina , black women made up nearly 30 percent of all democratic primary voters in 2004. This year, polls show a significant number are undecided, torn between choosing the first African-American or first female Presidential candidate. Allen talks with the undecided, as well the state directors for the Clinton and Obama campaigns, who happen to be African-American women.

To close the series on Friday, Dr. Snyderman will raise the frightening statistic that African-American women are 85% more likely to get diabetes, a major complication for heart disease. And, like breast cancer, more black women die from heart disease than white women. Dr. Snyderman will profile a leading expert and a unique church-based outreach program in South Carolina that seeks to spread the word about heart disease risks to black women congregants.

Mara Schiavocampo, Digital Correspondent for "Nightly News," will address two hot topics in the African - American community: interracial dating and the impact of hip hop music on black women (For those of you who attended NABJ this year, Ms. Schiavocampo won the Emerging Journalist of the Year Award). Interracial dating is a growing trend in the African - American community. An Essence.com poll found that 81% of participants approved of black women dating non- black men. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report in 2000, 95,000 black women were married to white men. In 2005, that number increased to 134,000. Schiavocampo will talk to experts about the trend and discuss how this defines the "Black family" of the future.

Schiavocampo will convene a panel of leading black men and women from the hip-hop industry for an engaging discussion on whether hip hop lyrics and videos positively or negatively affect black women. The roundtable also will address how these portrayals are affecting relationships between black women and black men.

NBC Website

Essence Magazine's 25 Most Influential of 2007

Beyonce is one of the 25 most influential people of 2007? What kind of influence are they talking about?

This is Essence Magazine's (a formally great magazine) 25 most influential people of 2007. I really don't understand several of their choices. But I'm very happy to see a fellow blogger Gina McCauley of What About Our Daughters? on the list.

25 Most Influential List

• Senator Barack Obama

• Gina McCauley- Blogger, whataboutourdaughters.com

• Tyler Perry - Writer, Producer, Director

• Majora Carter - Environmentalist, Founder, Executive Director, Sustainable South Bronx

• Victoria Lanier- Former Youth Director, NAACP, Northeast Region

• Reverend Jesse L. Jackson - Civil Rights Activist, Minister

• Reverend Al Sharpton - Civil Rights Activist and President, NationalAction Network

• The JENA Six

• Beyonce Knowles - Singer, Songwriter, Actress

• Oprah Winfrey - Media Mogul, School Founder

• Timbaland - Music Producer, Recording Artist

• Cory A. Booker - Mayor of Newark, New Jersey

• Lovie Smith - Head Coach, NFC Champions, Chicago Bears

• Tony Dungy - Head Coach, Super Bowl Champions, Indianapolis Colts

• Deval Patrick - Governor, Massachusetts

• Don Cheadle - Actor, Activist

• Shonda Rhimes - Creator, Executive Producer, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice

• Venus Williams - Tennis Champion

• Charles Rangel - Chairman, House Committee on Ways and Means

• Barry Bonds - "Home Run King"

• Cynthia Tucker - Syndicated Columnist, Editorial Page Editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

• The Scarlet Knights - Rutgers University Women's Basketball Team, NCAA Finalists

• Kiri Davis - Filmmaker, Youth Activist

• Bishop T.D. Jakes - Founder, Senior Pastor, The Potter's House of Dallas

• Steve Harvey - Radio Personality, Comedian, Actor
  

Steve Harvey? And Barry Bonds may be going to jail, so how influential is he? Timbaland? Is he on the list so that they can say they didn't leave hip hop out? Has Venus Williams won anything lately? Beyonce is influential? The Jena 6 are a bunch of thugs!

Thank goodness no one from Viacom/ BET is on the list.

There are some glaring omissions,such as Tavis Smiley, (love her or hate her) Condi Rice, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, American Express CEO Ken Chenault, Tom Joyner, Cathy Hughes of Radio One/ TV One.

Can you think of people that should have been on this list? What do you think of those on the list, agree or disagree?

Who will the (corporate) media select as the next U.S. President?

The media is once again picking 'our' presidential candidates. Remember during the 2004 presidential election when the media showed the video of then candidate Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean (above). The one of him seemingly screaming like a madman. Well as I hope you know it was not really the case. The microphone he was using was a mic that did not pick up the sound in the room other than his voice. So the mic did not get the screaming crowd that he was trying to be heard over. The media didn't report it like that and many think that helped to derail his candidacy.

So now as we get ready to select the nominees for the 2008 presidential election the media is once again selecting for us. And unfortunately we are letting it happen. This is not independent media, it's corporate media. They have an agenda. The companies that own these media news outlets are very diversified and have their hands in all sorts of business. So is it far fetched to think that they might have an interest in who becomes the President of the United States?

I'm not a conspiracy theorist and I don't think this is a conspiracy. However I do believe that in back rooms at individual media outlets, the corporate heads are talking with the media heads and letting them know in no uncertain terms who would be an acceptable nominee and who would not.

This is why the consolidation of media allowed by the Telecommunications Act Of 1996 was a terrible thing for democracy. We now have too few voices and points of view delivering our news. And we very rarely take into consideration the motives of news outlets (with the exception of Fox News).

And once again the media/ FCC is making a push to have the FCC allow for more consolidation. Very quietly the republican controlled FCC is looking to relax media ownership rules once again.

In 2003 the FCC tried to change restrictions of media ownership to allow the same entity to own a broadcast outlet and a newspaper in the same market, which is not currently allowed.

In certain markets, smaller ones especially, that could have meant that one media company would've dominated the news coverage in that market. That obviously would not have been a good thing.

The public reaction and protests put the kibosh on the plan then, but the FCC is at it again.

The new FCC chairman Kevin Martin is trying to ease those restrictions by the end of 2007. In the next couple of months there will be a few public hearings on this. And the FCC is trying to keep those meetings as low key as possible.

Is there any doubt that corporate media will help by either not covering the process or giving it a low profile?

So as we continue down the campaign path to the 2008 Presidential election, keep in mind that the information you get about who is a viable candidate and who is not, does not come from sources with no interest in the outcome. And if the FCC has its way there will be fewer voices deciding for us who our presidential nominees will be than ever before.

More on the proposed FCC media ownership changes

NPR: FCC May Change Media Rules

The Wall Street Journal: FCC Moves on Ownership

Does everyone hate Black people?

This following article talks about racism against Black people in China.

Does racism exist in China?

From: The China Expat Blog

If you are reading this, you probably care about this question. This is a complicated issue, so please read carefully and leave your thoughts below or respond with your own post - but keep the language clean, otherwise your comments won’t show up.

This post is not meant to say that racism is worse in China than elsewhere - it is merely an attempt to describe the racism that does exist in China. Comparisons of which country is more racist than another is not something I am qualified or want to get into.

Read the rest of the post here; Racism In China