Market-based measures of viewpoint diversity

摘要

Existing market-based measures of viewpoint diversity in the media have been criticized for lacking a theoretical foundation. This paper proposes a theoretical framework to develop market-based measures of viewpoint diversity. It then uses this framework to develop four viewpoint diversity measures using a panel dataset of local television ratings. Finally, an econometric model relates these viewpoint diversity measures to media ownership variables. It does not appear that market-based measures of viewpoint diversity are strongly related to media ownership structures.