The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Contents

• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments and Caveat
• Preface From LCEF
• Preface From MIT's CRCP
• Introduction: Off Course on a Long Dark Road

Part One

• Section 254
• Section 255
• Section 706
• The Impact on Rural America

Part Two

• Section 202
• Media Mergers (1995-2001)
• A Brief Note on Mergers
• Telecom Mergers (1996-2001) 
• Section 336

Part Three

• Section 257
• Section 714

Afterword

• Does the Digital Divide Still Exist?

Appendix

• The Authors
• About CRFCP
• About LCEF
• About MIT's CRCP

Media Mergers (1995-2001)

* Radio
!TV
+ Cable
* Satellite

1995

• Seagram buys MCA and renames it Universal !
• Westinghouse buys CBS (later renames itself CBS) * !

1996

• Disney buys Capital Cities/ ABC * !
• Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting announce merger !
• Westinghouse/ CBS buys Infinity, among the $16 billion in radio mergers this year *
• Chancellor Media is formed by investment firm Hicks, Muse, Tate, Furst; already a major player with 103 stations *

1997

• Since 1995 Jacor spends $1.6 billion acquiring radio stations, now owns 149 *
• CBS buys American Radio, now owns 164 stations *
• Chancellor Media buys Capital Broadcasting radio holdings and stations from Paxson and Infinity *

1998

• Seagram buys Polygram !
• CapStar (partially owned by Hicks, Muse, Tate, Furst, owner of Chancellor) buys SFX Entertainment *
• Chancellor Media merges with Capstar, now owns 488 stations, and renames itself AMFM *
• Clear Channel announces it will buy Jacor * Hughes' DirecTV buys USSB, narrowing from 4 to 3 the number of satellite TV companies *
• News Corp acquires 30% stake in satellite TV company EchoStar ! *

1999

• Viacom buys CBS * !
• Hughes' DirecTV buys Primestar, leaving just 2 satellite TV companies *
• Radio powerhouse Clear Channel buys AMFM (formerly Chancellor) *
• AT&T and TCI announce merger, creating giant cable TV firm and putting AT& T in cable programming business +
• AT& T purchases MediaOne +
• AT& T purchases 50% stake in Lenfest +
• Adelphia purchases Harron Communications +
• Cox mergers with MediaGeneral ! +
• Cox purchases TCA ! +
• Charter (controlled by Paul Allen) purchases Avalon Cable +
• Charter purchases Falcon +
• Charter purchases Fanch +

2000

• Clear Channel buys SFX *
• AOL buys Time Warner, in largest ever media merger ! +

2001

• EchoStar and Hughes' DirecTV announce merger *
• AT&T announces its selling its cable operations to Comcast +