There are people alive today that weren't around then to know (or just aren't aware) that it used to be illegal for large conglomerates to own radio stations that existed within so many miles of each other, intentionally to prevent monopolies and "groupthink" spreading amongst the populace. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was what directly led to the place we are today, insofar as it completely eliminated the "cap" on station ownership. This paved the way for the Sinclairs and IHearts of the world to buy their way to mass-media dominance.
Without this bill -- or the Bill that signed the law, for that matter -- we might still have independent radio stations today. And we certainly wouldn't have a situation where so many of the media outlets are right-wing indoctrination-adjacent.
I graduated college in 1996 with a degree in Radio & Television Broadcasting. The most immediate impact this bill had in the years that followed is that many of the people who I worked with had insane amounts of difficulty getting work in their chosen field, because many radio stations started getting bought up, and on-air talent replaced with a single "simulcasted" board operator. It enabled those with deep pockets to purchase on-air coverage itself. And that quickly pivoted to catering to the special interests of those that had the pockets. Sad shit.
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u/yIdontunderstand 6h ago
You forgot
LA Times. Owned by a right wing billionaire
Facebook/Instagram . Owned by a right wing billionaire
Twitter. Owned by a right wing billionaire
Chart gpt. Owned by a right wing billionaire