Time Warner Company is a huge contender in the media world. The companies they own range from television to Internet to print. Not only do they own these companies but also many of them are leaders in their field. Time Warner owns hundreds of major companies such as:
HBO
CNN
Warner Bros.
Time Magazine
Sports Illustrated
People Magazine
In Style Magazine
Amazon.com (partial)
Cross media ownership can have effects on the production and accuracy of work yet Time Warner seems to keep each company separate and thriving. HBO is a hugely successful television station with hit shows such as Six Feet Under, Entourage, and True Blood. Many shows are filled with nudity and course language but these values are not transferred into other forms of media such as CNN, which is also one of the most trusted names news. Although there can be overlapping information and biases, Time Warner successfully produces Warner Bros. aimed at children as well as Sports Illustrated. Theses two companies have completely different target markets and represent vastly different things yet parents do not see a problem in letting their children watch Warner Bros. cartoons yet will not find it acceptable for their children to be looking at a Sports Illustrated magazine. A family can be influenced by a Time Warner company many times throughout the day from morning cartoons, news programs, magazines, and even the internet.
Lawrence Lessig discusses how the world as changed in the form of media ownership, “In the past 20 years, the nature of media ownership has undergone a radical alternation” (1). Today, a group of large companies own the majority of media that the public sees. It is not solely every company working as in individual, it is a group of companies owned by one large ‘mother’ company. This generates more money that can be distributed amongst the group. It is especially usefull when new companies are starting when they need financial assistance.
Work Cited
1. Lessig, Lawrence. Free Culture. New York: Penguin Books, 2004. Print.
2. “Who Owns What.” Columbia Journalism Review. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.
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