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The Battle to Control America's Media
Metropolitan Books
January 2007
On Sale: January 9, 2007
352 pages
ISBN: 0805078193
EAN: 9780805078190
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Political
A groundbreaking investigative work by a critically acclaimed sociologist on the corporate takeover of local news and what it means for all Americans For the residents of Minot, North Dakota, Clear Channel Communications is synonymous with disaster. Early in the morning of January 18, 2002, a train derailment sent a cloud of poisonous gas drifting toward the small town. Minotβs fire and rescue departments attempted to reach Clear Channel, which owned and operated all six local commercial radio stations, to warn residents of the approaching threat. But in the age of canned programming and virtual DJs, there was no one in the conglomerateβs studio to take the call. The people of Minot were taken unawares. The result: one death and more than a thousand injuries. Opening with the story of the Minot tragedy, Eric Klinenbergβs Fighting for Air takes us into the world of preprogrammed radio shows, empty television news stations, and copycat newspapers to show how corporate ownership and control of local media has remade American political and cultural life. Klinenberg argues that the demise of truly local media stems from the federal governmentβs malign neglect, as the agencies charged with ensuring diversity and open competition have ceded control to the very conglomerates that consistently undermine these values and goals. Such βbig mediaβ may not be here to stay, however. Fighting for Air delivers a call to action, revealing a rising generation of new media activists and citizen journalistsβa coalition of liberals and conservativesβwho are demanding and even creating the local coverage they need and deserve.
 Media BuzzTalk of the Nation - March 1, 2007
News and Notes - February 13, 2007
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