Who Owns the Media?

It seems like many countries Chile's media does suffer from conglomeration. It appears that the countries major media sources are primarily owned by just a handful of individuals. Agustín Edwards Eastman is the owner of the El Mercurio chain of newspapers which controls about 20 national and regional newspapers. While Álvaro Saieh heads the Consorcio Periodístico de Chile (COPESA) that controls the newspapers La Tercera, La Cuarta and La Hora, a radio network and the magazines Qué Pasa and Paula. These two individuals create what has been referred to in my readings as a "duopoly" within Chilean press. Additionally, there is Sebastián Piñera a presidential candidate for the rightwing Coalition for Change whom owns the Chilevisión television channel.

These three individuals are all part of conglomeration seen with in Chilean media. I find it extremely interesting that the owner of one of the oldest television stations, ranking 3rd in viewership in Chile would double as a presidential candidate. This is a perfect example of the risks that conglomeration can create, companies or individuals that are able to use their ownership to promote their own agendas through mass media. Interestingly in recent news, Time Warner has proposed the purchase of this station. So media ownership is shrinking even further with Time Warner, the second major media conglomerate in the world, getting their hands on one of Chile's major television stations.