Big media, big money : cultural texts and political economics / Ronald V. Bettig and Jeanne Lynn Hall.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 321-350) and index.

Introduction: beat the press -- Media merger mania: concentration in the media industry -- The Hollywood film industry: do we really need it? -- The music industry: the payer calls the tune -- The news and advertising industries: all the news that fits -- Ad creep: the commercialization of culture -- The commercialization of education: students for sale -- Media and democracy: taking it to the streets.

Big Media, Big Money is a lively and scathing critique of the contemporary communications industry, examining how media ownership and the profit-making motive affect the messages we receive in alarming ways. Through close readings of recent news events and critical examination of corporate influence, Bettig and Hall conclude that current interconnections among media, big business, government, and education pose a serious threat to democratic communications. The second edition includes three new chapters, covering the contemporary Hollywood film industry; the changing landscape of the music industry; and "ad creep," the proliferation of advertising into previously ad-free venues such as schools and children's television programming.