I have provided examples of the medium of communications that Disney owns, however there are many more and these are just the tip of the iceberg. Disney owns ABC internet sites such as ABC, ABC News, and ABC Sports. Other internet sites include ESP Deportes, and soccernet. Examples of the magazines that Disney owns include Buena Vista Magazine, and ESPN. Disney also exerts dominance over books such as ESPN books and ABC Daytime press. In the section of radio, Disney owns ESPN Radio and 73 stations of ABC Radio. And lastly, in the area of films, Disney owns Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures along with Pixar and Buena Vista.
What I found most disturbing was the amount of television programming that Disney owns. ABC entertainment, daytime, sports, kids and the news channel are all owned by Disney. In total, Disney owns 97 percent of ABC’s television programming. For ESPN, Disney owns 80 percent of their programming component. Surprisingly Disney also owns roughly between 37-40 percent of television programs such as E! entertainment network, lifetime television, and the history and biography channels.
What I found most disturbing was the amount of television programming that Disney owns. ABC entertainment, daytime, sports, kids and the news channel are all owned by Disney. In total, Disney owns 97 percent of ABC’s television programming. For ESPN, Disney owns 80 percent of their programming component. Surprisingly Disney also owns roughly between 37-40 percent of television programs such as E! entertainment network, lifetime television, and the history and biography channels.
What are the implications, you ask? Since Disney has control over the access of information that individuals will be exposed to, their imperialism over other mediums of communications promotes a homogenous point of view. Therefore, they have the power to control and shape the perceptions of the masses. Walt Disney’s dominance over radio, news, books, films and television shows limits our selection of other forms of communication. The fact that Walt Disney is worth approximately 35.51 billion dollars is an aspect, which indicates not only the ridiculous amount of power that they have, but the continuous support of the masses that purchase their goods and services. The situation becomes even more complex when the directors on the Walt Disney board have affiliations with other companies. The implications are far reaching, impacting the decisions we make in our selection of media related sources and our consumer habits. If the masses continue to support Walt Disney, this will only facilitate their ability to expand their imperialistic ventures, which will only limit our availability to other forms of communication.
“The National Entertainment State: 10th Anniversary.” 24 Nov. 2008 <http://www.thenation.com/special/2006_entertainment.pdf >.
“The National Entertainment State: 10th Anniversary.” 24 Nov. 2008 <http://www.thenation.com/special/2006_entertainment.pdf >.
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