We are witnessing a rapid consolidation of media ownership in the United States and around the world.
This Thursday, from 3 to 4 p.m. in Whitley Auditorium, the School of Communications invites the community to a panel discussion on “Media Concentration: Who Owns What We Watch and Read, and Does It Matter?”
Participants are members of the School of Communications Advisory Board:
–Jim Hefner, VP and General Manager, WRAL-TV in Raleigh, a rare family-owned media enterprise and the nation’s first digital broadcast station.
–Bill Warren, VP of Public Affairs, Walt Disney World in Florida. Disney (which owns ABC) was recently the target of a hostile takeover bid by Comcast.
–Jim Winston, Executive Director of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters in Washington, which promotes a wide diversity of media ownership.
–Debora Wilson, COO of The Weather Channel in Atlanta, owned by Landmark Communications which also publishes the Greensboro News & Record.
–Graham Woodlief, President of the Publishing Division, Media General Inc. in Richmond, a publicly owned company of newspapers, broadcast stations and interactive media.
The Communications Advisory Board will be on campus for two days (April 1-2).