Book excerpt: The media industry plays a vital role in informing and entertaining the public. Media ownership and the availability of diverse programming have been a long-standing concern of Congress. Despite numerous programming choices in TV and radio available to the public, independently produced programming ¿ that is, programming not affiliated with broadcast networks or cable operators ¿ has decreased through the years. This report discusses: (1) the extent to which the sources of TV programming have changed over the last decade; (2) the factors industry stakeholders identified as affecting the availability of independent TV programming; and (3) the factors industry stakeholders identified as influencing programming decisions in radio. Illus.