American Media and Profit

Since the conception of modern American media, there has been only one bottom-line, profit. American media may have evolved over time and came to include a plethora of forms, but again one thing has remained the same, how much money is made at the end of the day. It has been the American dream to work hard and make an honest living, but media has contorted that image and found its own way to make its players money. Without a profit, a business cannot survive and the American media is a business. If they cannot earn that profit an ethical or appropriate way (defined socially, which is hard to define), American media will find another way. American media and its advertisements do not care of the images they portray or the means they take to earn a profit, as long as sustains them.

One form of American media that has been changed to accommodate the bottom-line is news. American news is reported at the national level by several stations and locally by thousands of stations. National news especially, has reported issues that cause controversy. The stations report those issues to increase their ratings. Increased ratings for a station means more market exposure for advertisers and the higher the ratings, the more they can charge the advertisers for that time spot. Also, since there are many national news stations, they are all competing for better ratings than the others, meaning who ever reports an issue that will stir up more concern will get the better ratings (typically). The increased chance to make more money by reporting more controversial issues means that the news stations will report as many of those types of issues as possible. The issues themselves are not the “real” controversy in this blog, it is the fact that they are being reported and put on national television. For example, the issue surrounding Lady Gaga and her being a hermaphrodite is not important national news or right for TV (at least in my opinion) that deserves airtime over other more vital issues that the general public should know about. My intention is not to demean controversial issues that should be known to the general public and take away from the fifth amendment, but some of those issues that are reported are not suitable for national attention and the eyes and ears of many Americans. As aforementioned, the American media does not care of what the issue is or what consequence it causes, as long as it meets their bottom-line.

Advertisements, the profit center of American media, are geared towards whatever sells. Advertisements are meant to make someone’s product known and grab their consumer’s attention enough so that they will buy it. Gaining the consumer’s attention is the most important part. Attention can be easily gained by something off the typical beaten path. In past years, many advertising agencies have modified their marketing strategy to include sexual implications. In American media, sex grabs the consumer’s attention, and it sells! Sexual themes in advertisements may sell, but are they appropriate for the public to see? Older children and teens are even targeted by marketers to use sex to sell their products. Sex is not the only issue with advertisements, race is also brought about. Many commercial advertisements included only white actors and the image portrayed was that only white people could enjoy or use their product. Then, when the public caught on and the issue became a problem for selling, the marketers began to use minorities as the majority in their advertisements.

American media and its advertisements may make money but at what cost? A cost not that of monetary value, but of mental indecencies. I do not mean to discourage progress and change of American media; it is just difficult as to wear to draw the line in order to make profit (I tried to make my viewpoint that of the general public). The media presented in America is shown to make a profit and if the line changes along which things will be allowed to be aired, the media will change to incorporate that new line and tip toe along it. American media will continue and the only thing that remains is what will Americans do to affect the media and its profitability in the future?