\\That You See Is What To Get: Cable Television and Community Control

Abstract

CATV is fast moving from its original meaning of community antenna television to a new and unprecedented redefinition as corporate antenna television. Ownership patterns in CATV have changed from local entrepreneurs and their "mom and pop" systems to the growing dominance of corporate conglomerates and media giants. Over 29% of CATV systems are owned by broadcasters, 5% by telephone companies and 6.8% by publishers. As cable television has become practical and profitable, it has also become a private, privileged industry. CATV now stands poised to enter the major broadcast television markets and it offers the potential for influencing the social, political and economic futures of the minority and poor residents within these areas.