As media consolidation has led to debates over whether it has been good for communities of color in the United States, political activism by civic groups regarding media policy has played a role in how regulation has taken shape. Through advocacy efforts over media policy, Latina/os seek inclusion within the media landscape. This article engages in an interpretive policy analysis of the 2011 Comcast/NBCU merger at the FCC and the racialization of media policy. Our article highlights the need to critically engage with the role of racialization regarding media policy, and the ways that representation should be thought of beyond notions of narrowcasting or numerical diversity in the media landscape. Despite efforts by Latina/o groups to participate and gain access to the broader media landscape, their efforts fell short in ensuring increased representation and decision-making power post-merger.
Access to the article can be found here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01419870.2018.1444187
You can also find a short write-up of the findings and what they mean for ongoing policy concerns at the London School for Economics Media Policy Project blog: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2018/03/30/memorandum-of-understandings-promise-nothing-media-mergers-require-close-scrutiny-by-the-fcc-for-their-impacts-on-latinasos/
March 30, 2018