On the Media The Century-Long Capture of U.S. Media
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Feb 25, 2026 Victor Pickard, University of Pennsylvania media policy professor and author, explores a century of media capture. He traces newspapers' turn to ad revenue, broadcast consolidation and failed regulation. He criticizes billionaire ownership, shows how public media was underfunded, and argues for treating media as a public good to counter oligarchic and authoritarian pressures.
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Advertising Turned Readers Into Commodities
- Newspapers shifted from reader-funded to advertiser-funded models, making readers commodities delivered to advertisers.
- By early 1900s advertising provided over 70% of newspaper revenue, driving sensationalism and consolidation under chains like Hearst and Pulitzer.
1934 Law Solidified A Commercial Broadcast Oligopoly
- The Communications Act of 1934 and subsequent FCC choices entrenched a commercial broadcast system instead of reserving spectrum for public programming.
- The Wagner-Hatfield Amendment to reserve 25% of airwaves for nonprofit educational content failed, cementing a commercial oligopoly.
Fairness Doctrine As A Social Contract
- The Fairness Doctrine required broadcasters to cover controversial issues in a balanced way as a quid pro quo for using public airwaves.
- It imposed an affirmative duty on commercial broadcasters to serve local community interests until its later repeal.
