Current Trends in the American Media

US media development since the 1980s is presented as a process of the concentration of media capital, eg, the building of the conglomerates, accompanied by the shrinking of the radio & print media editorial staff. The convergence of media systems, exemplified by the combination of TV & the Internet & the interactive information programs led the US Congress to adopt a new law on telecommunications: telephone companies can own TV channels, exemplifying the growing possibilities of the concentration of economic power. Despite the fact that radio stations continue copying their news from the printed media, there is an increase in the number of radio news analysts & a decrease in newspaper readership. In contrast to the global orientation to advertising techniques as the model for presenting news in all spheres of politics & economy, alternative approaches to media reporting emphasize the role of audiences & the needs of local communites. The Cultural Environment Movement, an international grassroots organization, issued its "Audiences' Declaration of Independence" with the goal of strengthening civil society in opposition to a homogenizing cultural trend. 34 References. A. Devic