Ownership in the media industry is something that seems to be ignored because people are ignorant to reality that the players in this competition are actually very limited.  We may think or assume that there are plenty of media players but there is not, in fact there is only about a hand full of big companies universal called the Big Five These or media giants companies are: Viacom, News Corp., Walt Disney, Time Warner, and Bertelsmann.  These big media companies are called media consolidators and what this means is that the mergers or acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones.  So pretty much these companies are like pac-man, they go around eating all the little dots and became part of their industry.  They can own every form of media.  From Newspaper and television to radio and publishing companies.  What does this mean though?? In this link below you can click on any of the media giants and see exactly what they own. You'll soon realize that they own everything. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/giants/
According to Freepress.net, "Through a history of mergers and acquisitions, these companies have concentrated their control over what we see, hear and read. In many cases, these companies are vertically integrated, controlling everything from initial production to final distribution."  Vertical integrated means that instead of having another company coming in and either do  the production or final distribution the actual company has control of all that themselves.  So no other company or industry can interfere.

	It is the second largest global media conglomerate, after AOL Time Warner.		Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation Ltd. has media holdings in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, Latin America and Asia.		This privately-owned German media conglomerate has interests in 600 companies in 53 countries.

It's the third largest global media conglomerate. FY 2000 revenues topped $25 billion.			This giant's subsidiary Universal Music Group is the number one music company in the world, with roughly 22% of the 1999 global market.

The $165 billion mega-merger between AOL and Time Warner, approved by the FCC in January 2001, is the largest media merger in history. The new company promises to offer a powerhouse of integrated communication, media and entertainment across all platforms -- computer, phone, television and handheld wireless devices.

Sony made its name with electronics, but it now has more than 1,000 subsidaries worldwide, many of them key media partners.

So with these five companies controlling practically everything, that means they are controlling everything that we are consuming. Rich,old white men.  No wonder why everything we see seems to have the same message and one point of view. 


Diversity in media ownership is a huge problem because this is holding back from people seeing the world through different eyes.  They control us by only giving us only one perspective and one option while everything and everyone else gets ignored.  Freepress.bnet also says that, "What happens when women and people of color are excluded from national conversations? Other people get to tell their stories … or the stories remain untold altogether.
This lack of accurate coverage — or of any coverage at all — relates directly to media consolidation. Mergers have kept female and minority media ownership at low levels:

• Women comprise over 51 percent of the U.S. population but hold less than 7 percent of all TV and radio station licenses.
  
• People of color make up over 36 percent of the U.S. population but hold just over 7 percent of radio licenses and 3 percent of TV licenses.
  
   We need to wake up an realize that we can not base our knowledge and what we see on one perspective.  We have become ignorant and blind to the fact that the world is more broad than an old white man perspective.
  In Debra Zimmerman's article, Women Makes Movies, she says, "A major problem, even today, is convincing men that films by and about women are important."  This is very true,one of the problems is to get people on board to something new and foreign to them.  That is why it will always be a struggle for women and minorities to get recognized; but we will never know as a people what we are capable of until people work hard and make those strides to make a change.  Like the creator of hit television show "Greys Anatomy", was created by an African-American Woman. 
  
  All types of minority groups of race,genders, sexuality, etc are not being able to tell their story and this hinders people the ability to understand and to see different views.  There are ways that people placed in these groups do get heir voice out by having media events or just media period that are directed just for them like : BENT TV, LOGO,BET,  GAY FILM FESTIVALS, WOMEN FILM FESTIVALS where all of these people have a chance to showcase their talents.  I have a personal problem with this because I still feel like they are being thrown to the side own a smaller stage and its a little demeaning.  It says to me that you can only showcase you on a certain platform that geared to just your specific genre.  Why cant they people integrated and treated like these rich white men are being treated?
  
  Here is a video of Congresswoman Maxine Waters addressing the FCC's inability to adhere to minority ownership:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The alternative media source I chose was an online show called "Between Women".  It's a Youtube series about of group of lesbian women in Atlanta, Georgia that take yo through there daily life with work, relationships, money, domestic violence, and everyday human situations that everyone goes through, just with lesbians.  I personally love this show and found it just by browsing youtube videos and I stumbled upon it.  at first not a lot of people new about it because they really cant advertise because it was made by two young women by the name of Michelle Daniel who started of making short films called "broken silence".  This show started in 2011and started off with a six people cast a cheap camera and an idea, and now has transformed into the ultimate lesbian show like watching the real housewives of some sort (just better).  They have their own website now, which they did not have a couple months ago , and they are now getting better actresses because there is money getting generated.  They are now in kick off of season 2.  This show is so important because it makes lesbian feels like they have a place and that there is something for them and that they are not the only ones going through these issues that in some ways if your a lesbian you would know.  It's a positive show with these women having careers and gives lesbians someone to look up too.  And they make they show every type of women so everyone can relate to. Here's the link the website:
  http://www.betweenwomentv.com/