Report: Media Companies Heavy Donors to Obama Campaign

The nation’s leading media companies have donated more heavily to President Barack Obama than his presumptive Republican rival, Mitt Romney.

The companies, many of which are based in NewYork, were primarily driven by their Hollywood film and television businesses, according to the Open Secrets website of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), a nonprofit Washington-based research group.

News of the donations was published in The New York Times.

The center’s numbers represent donations by a company’s PAC and any employees who listed that company as their employer, The Times reports.

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For instance, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, has contributed $58,825 to Obama’s campaign, compared with $2,750 to Romney. The company owns Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and the 20th Century Fox studios.

That was roughly the same amount of money News Corporation gave Romney’s Republican primary competitors Rick Perry and Ron Paul, The Times reports.

In addition, News Corporation has donated $504,162 to individuals, Super PACs and candidates in 2012, according to CRP’s website. Eight of the 10 top recipients of that cash are Democrats – even though Murdoch’s personal contributions generally favor Republicans.

By comparison, News Corporation contributed $380,558 to Obama’s campaign in 2008, versus $32,740 to Republican nominee Arizona Sen. John McCain.

This election cycle, other media companies have contributed more to Obama, including Time Warner, owner of CNN and Time Inc. The company, which also owns Warner Brothers and HBO, has contributed $191,834 to Obama, compared with $10,750 to Romney.

The Walt Disney Company, based in Los Angeles and which owns ABC and ESPN, donated $125,856 to Obama and $9,950 to Romney.

Meanwhile, Comcast Corporation, the Philadelphia-based owner of NBCUniversal and one of the biggest spenders on lobbying in Washington, has given $206,056 to Obama and $20,500 to Romney, The Times reports.

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