Center Unveils New Database for Tracking Media Ownership Nationwide

U.S. Newswire

The Center for Public Integrity has upgraded Media Tracker, its popular Web-based guide to ownership of the nation's broadcasters.

The site (http://www.openairwaves.org) contains newly updated profiles of the nation's 42 largest broadcast and telecommunications companies - including information regarding company holdings, profits and even executive salaries.

The Media Tracker was created to allow journalists, researchers and the public at large to learn who owns the media in their area. The tracker contains ownership information on every radio and television station and cable television system in the United States, searchable by zip code or city. The updated version has a number of new features:

-- A variable search radius. Visitors may search up to a 100- mile radius around a particular zip code in 20-mile increments.

-- Ownership information on the 250 largest regional newspapers as well as any newspaper owned by one of the 10 largest broadcasters in the U.S.

-- Format information for radio stations owned by the top 25 radio broadcast companies.

-- Information on whether a station is owned by one company, yet managed by another, further helping identify how many truly independent "voices" there are in a particular market.

Fabulous resource. I checked my area and learned a lot.