ABSTRACT
The networks, newspapers, and national magazines served as intermediaries between the population and the political world, reporting on politicians and their doings, government affairs, and the events taking place in the country and around the world. The first crack in the domination of political news by the established outlets was the emergence of talk radio. The second major change in the media environment was the augmentation of the television broadcast networks by cable television, a change that expanded the number of sources of news and information and therefore the choices of viewers. And because cable expanded the number of channels that consumers could receive, viewers who were not interested in current events had many alternative and attractive entertainment options from which to select. The advantage of the internet and social media platforms is that news and information are available whenever people wish to have it, rather than at specific times determined by network programmers or publishing schedules.
