COMM 387 Exam 1 Study Guide (COMM 387) 2026 | 180+ Expert-Verified Questions & Correct Answers | Media Ownership, Advertising, Hyper-Commercialism, Political Economy, Internet Monopolies & Democracy

This comprehensive COMM 387 Exam 1 Study Guide contains more than 180 expertly verified questions and correct answers covering the foundational concepts, theories, readings, lectures, and documentary materials examined in Sut Jhally's COMM 387 course. The material provides an in-depth review of media ownership, advertising, hyper-commercialism, political economy of communication, media consolidation, corporate power, journalism, cultural production, internet governance, monopoly capitalism, and democratic communication systems. Organized in a structured question-and-answer format, this study guide helps students master key course concepts while preparing effectively for examinations, quizzes, class discussions, and analytical writing assignments. A major section focuses on Robert McChesney's influential analysis of hyper-commercialism and the growing role of advertising within contemporary media systems. Students will examine how advertising shapes media content, influences journalistic practices, promotes brand identity, encourages product placement, drives integrated marketing campaigns, and contributes to the commercialization of public culture. The guide explores critical concepts such as stealth advertising, branded entertainment, guerrilla marketing, urban marketing, marketing to children, commercial sponsorship, and the increasing integration of advertising into entertainment programming. Particular attention is given to the relationship between corporate interests and media institutions, highlighting how advertising can influence both media production and public discourse. The material also provides extensive coverage of Matthew McAllister's work on advertising and control. Students will review the different dimensions of control within media systems, including internal versus external control, allocative versus operational control, and intentional versus unintentional forms of influence. Additional topics include audience fragmentation, media clutter, channel surfing behavior, media targeting strategies, demographic segmentation, deregulation, advertiser influence on broadcasting, and the growing economic pressures shaping television, radio, print, and digital media environments. These concepts are essential for understanding how commercial interests structure communication systems and audience behavior. Another major component examines the documentary Rich Media, Poor Democracy, which explores media concentration, FCC regulation, telecommunications policy, corporate mergers, media conglomerates, cross-promotion, synergy, journalism, and democratic accountability. Students analyze the consequences of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, media ownership consolidation, declining journalistic independence, reduced investigative reporting, globalization coverage, free trade debates, and the growing influence of corporate power over public communication. The guide emphasizes the role of journalism in democratic societies and explores how commercial pressures can affect news production and civic engagement. The study guide further explores Money for Nothing, a critical examination of the music industry's political economy. Topics include corporate ownership of music production and distribution, artist-label relationships, radio consolidation, payola, synergy, music marketing, MTV, celebrity branding, Ticketmaster, retail concentration, Wal-Mart's influence on music distribution, independent labels, artist unionization, and the commercialization of popular culture. Students gain insight into how corporate structures shape cultural production, artistic diversity, consumer choice, and creative expression within the entertainment industry. The final section focuses on Robert McChesney's lecture Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy. Students examine the historical development of the internet, capitalism's tensions with democracy, digital monopolies, broadband policy, net neutrality, surveillance capitalism, targeted advertising, data collection, internet governance, corporate lobbying, government regulation, FCC policy, and the decline of journalism in the digital era. The guide explores the growing power of technology companies such as Google, Facebook, telecommunications providers, and digital platforms while encouraging critical analysis of how economic systems shape information flows and democratic participation. The content aligns closely with foundational scholarship in Communication Studies, Media Studies, Political Economy of Communication, Journalism Studies, Critical Cultural Studies, and Digital Media Research. The guide develops students' understanding of ownership structures, media policy, corporate influence, commercialization, democracy, public communication, and the social consequences of concentrated media power. These themes are central to contemporary debates regarding media reform, public interest communication, and democratic citizenship in the digital age. Relevant Students: COMM 387 Students, Communication Studies Students, Media Studies Students, Journalism Students, Political Science Students, Sociology Students, Cultural Studies Students, Public Policy Students, Digital Media Students, Mass Communication Students, Media Economics Students, Critical Theory Students, Social Science Students, Democracy and Media Researchers, Undergraduate Humanities Students Academic References: McChesney, R. W. (2004). The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the Twenty-First Century. Monthly Review Press. McChesney, R. W. (2013). Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism Is Turning the Internet Against Democracy. The New Press. McChesney, R. W. (1999). Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times. University of Illinois Press. McAllister, M. P. (1996). The Commercialization of American Culture: New Advertising, Control and Democracy. Sage Publications. Bagdikian, B. H. (2004). The New Media Monopoly. Beacon Press. Mosco, V. (2009). The Political Economy of Communication (2nd Edition). Sage Publications. Keywords: COMM 387, COMM 387 Exam 1, Sut Jhally, Media Ownership, Media Consolidation, Hyper Commercialism, Political Economy of Communication, Advertising and Society, Advertising Control, Corporate Media, Media Conglomerates, Media Monopoly, Robert McChesney, Matthew McAllister, Rich Media Poor Democracy, Digital Disconnect, Money for Nothing, Journalism Studies, Media Policy, FCC Regulation, Telecommunications Act 1996, Democracy and Media, Free Press, Commercial Media, Corporate Power, Media Economics, Product Placement, Branded Entertainment, Integrated Marketing, Stealth Advertising, Guerrilla Marketing, Urban Marketing, Consumer Culture, Media Deregulation, Audience Fragmentation, Media Clutter, Synergy, Cross Promotion, Music Industry, Radio Consolidation, Payola, MTV, Cultural Production, Independent Music, Net Neutrality, Internet Monopolies, Surveillance Capitalism, Targeted Advertising, Digital Media, Broadband Policy, Internet Governance, Data Privacy, Media Reform, Public Interest Media, Critical Media Studies, Communication Theory, Media and Democracy, Exam Questions and Answers, Final Exam Preparation