Deterritorializing radio: deregulation and the continuing triumph of the corporatist perspective in the USA

Abstract

The deregulation of commercial radio in the USA has had important consequences in two specific cases: the concentration of ownership and the removal of public interest requirements. A `corporatist' perspective has driven deregulation and has now achieved complete dominance over radio broadcasting in the USA. The most significant consequence of deregulation has been that `local' radio stations are completely insulated from any form of direct community influence that is not contained within channels created and controlled by industry. In the USA, the idea of `public interest' in radio broadcasting is now defined entirely in the terms of private industry.