After reading and discussing commercial and public media in Australia I have noticed many similarities to the structure of commercial and public media in the United States. Commercial media in both the United States and Australia are very powerful because of the rise in media consolidation. Media consolidation is when media corporations own numerous media companies throughout various media channels, and expand their growth by buying more media companies. These powerful media corporations are also referred to as media conglomerates and includes News Limited in Australia and The Walt Disney Company in the United States.
Overtime, there has been a steady increase in media consolidation. Media consolidation is a major issue in the media industry because every type of medium, every person working in the media industry, and consumers of the media are effected by media consolidation. Independent media companies are struggling to compete with media conglomerates. In the United States and Australia the consolidation of the media and the lack of independent media companies means that only a few firms are controlling the information provided to the public. Media consolidation might lead to a decrease in content diversity or media companies might have a bias view. Many people might argue that News Limited is bias. Since there aren’t more companies controlling the media, News Limited can afford to be bias.
From my experience talking with the local people in Australia, people seem to be very aware of media consolidation. Most people I have talked to in United States don’t realise there are only five major media conglomerates because there are various media companies owned by a single conglomerate.
In our tutorial we were asked to find articles on an Australian commercial media site which was an example of the sensationalism in commercial media. Since I am not from Australia I had a hard time finding commercial news sites which would have numerous sensational stories. I enjoyed learning about Australian news sites and finding sensational stories. American commercial news sites might have been easier for me to navigate because I am more familiar with their format.
The consolidation of the media is a major issue in the United States and Australia. In lecture a fellow student said that if you get fired by one media conglomerate in Australia you will have a hard time finding another job in Australia. In Australia media conglomerates are incredibly powerful and you might have to move to a different country to start your career. I am greatly looking forward to learning more about Australian media and making connections to media in the United States.
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