No abstract

This study examines the relationship between competitive conditions in television markets, ownership characteristics, and commercial broadcast television station provision of local public affairs programming. The results from an analysis of a random sample of 285 fullpower television stations showed that half of the stations in the sample did not air any local public affairs programming during the 2-week sample period. Among the study's other findings are that competitive conditions and station financial resources do not necessarily increase the provision of local public affairs programming and that ownership characteristics bear little meaningful relationship to local public affairs programming provision.

No abstract

Using historical data collected by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) in 1990 (GAO, 1990), a time when the must-carry rules were not in effect, this study empirically tested the effects of horizontal concentration, vertical integration, and other system-specific variables on cable operators' carriage decisions regarding local television stations. Results from the negative binomial regression model (a count model) indicate that horizontal concentration or firm size had a negative effect on cable system carriage of local broadcast stations, holding other factors constant. However, the study did not find any significant vertical integration effects on such carriage.