How magazines covered media companies mergers: The case of the evolution of Time Inc.

Abstract

This study examined how magazines covered media companies' mergers. Specifically, the coverage of three mergers involving Time Inc. was content-analyzed to see differences based on ownership and magazine type. The findings suggest that Time and Fortune favored their parent company in terms of valence or direction of coverage of the merger, emphasis on the company, and amount of coverage. Other results showed the difference in how mergers were framed by news magazines and business magazines.