ABSTRACT
In television, with the loosening of the limitations, concentration of ownership of TV stations nationwide increased from 1983 to 1995. In broadcast television, as a result of competition from cable networks and new Hollywood-affiliated broadcast networks, the prime-time audience of the Big Three networks dropped from 92 percent in 1976 to 53 percent in 1996. The telecommunications industry was distinguished for a century by AT&T’s near monopoly until the 1970s when regulatory and technological forces combined to promote competitive entry. In long-distance telephone service, AT&T’s market share fell considerably from 90 percent in 1984 to 55 percent in 1994. Electronic media industries in the United States have been evolving through three stages: in the past, the stage of limited media; now, multichannel media; and in the future, cybermedia. The mergers and the increase in revenues generated by the major communication companies during the 1980s suggest an industry dominated by a few increasingly powerful firms.
