Chart of the Day: Old Media Evolution

The following chart from a new GAO report on media ownership shows the number of media outlets in the United States for TV and radio stations, and newspapers between 1970 and 2006.

The growth rate all types of Old Media outlets -- except FM radio stations -- has slowed since 1990 when compared to the previous two decades. This is partly due to market saturation, but also speaks to the increased competition from the web:

Given the radio industry's troubles these days, it's a sure bet that past trends won't continue. It'll also be interesting to see how a merged Sirius and XM transforms the industry. It's not a great analog, but satellite TV took a big bite out cable TV subscriber growth -- by as much as 71 percent:

Comments

[CrossProfit]

Is this is useful info for the average investor?

Can someone please explain which stocks the author is talking about (CBS or perhaps CCU etc.) and specifically how this correlates with revenue and earnings in each segment and geographical location for the past three years.

Perhaps some smart reader out there can figure out how 'table 2' fits in with the FM radio proclamation. Is the author trying to say that since we have a 65/29 ratio in 11 years for cable/satellite TV that FM,AM/satellite radio will be the same?

This can't be what the author is saying. Cable/satellite TV are both fee based. FM,AM radio is ad based and satellite radio is fee based.

Does anyone have a clue how this information is useful? We all know that there are way too many radio stations and that the weaker ones are going to fold in a downturn. So what's new? The strong flourish as the weak perish.

And what does this mean..."but also speaks to the increased competition from the web" - newspapers and TV are slowing down at the same time that FM radio has picked up because of the web?

Does that mean that the author believes that many are using the web to listen to FM radio? Just asking...

Some facts and numbers, with sources, along with a clear point would be much appreciated in the future.

SA editors, delete this comment if you find it inappropriate and yes, we are annoyed that this was posted on SA. SA is not a general media news blog. Perhaps we should write a general article about the harmful UV rays in Australia and how the number of reported skin cancer cases is growing without mentioning a single company attempting to make some 'alpha' on this and how they are doing it. Heck, we could write general knowledge articles all day long!

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