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The Business of Media
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The Business of Media
Corporate Media and the Public Interest

Second Edition


September 2005 | 336 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
The Business of Media provides the critical analysis of the rapidly changing media industry that students need in order to get behind the headlines and understand our increasingly media-saturated society. This Second Edition includes updated data and examples, while incorporating some of the most recent media developments into the analysis. The book:

- uses two conceptual models to understand the media: the market model and public sphere model;

- focuses on developments in the last decade, such as the rise of media conglomerates, and discusses new strategies;

- offers clear, concise, jargon-free writing accessible to students without an economics background.

This book will provide an invaluable guide to the changing media landscape.

 
Introduction: The New Media Industry and an Old Dilemma
 
Part I. Profits and the Public Interest: Theoretical and Historical Context
 
1. Media, Markets, and the Public Sphere
The Market Model

 
The Public Sphere Model

 
Why Media Are Different From Other Industries

 
The Tradition of Civic Responsibility

 
The Public Interest

 
Conflicting Logics

 
 
2. The Rise and (De)Regulation of the Media Industry
The Changing Business of Media and Regulation: The Case of ABC and Disney

 
The Growth of Media

 
The Evolution of Media

 
Media Policy and the Public Interest

 
 
Part II. Industry Structure and Corporate Strategy: Explaining the Rise of Media Conglomerates
 
3. The New Media Giants: Changing Industry Structure
Making Sense of Mergers

 
Structural Trends in the Media Industry

 
Interpreting Structural Changes

 
 
4. Strategies of the New Media Giants
The Case of Titanic

 
Strategies of the New Media Giants

 
Beyond Market Strategies: The Spector of Monopolies

 
Conclusion

 
 
Part III. Neglecting the Public Interest: Media Conglomerates and the Public Sphere
 
5. How Business Strategy Shapes Media Content
Considering the Public Interest

 
Homogenization and Imitation

 
Trivialization and Sensationalism

 
Media Constraint I: Commercial Interests

 
Media Constraint II: Censorship and Conflicts of Interest

 
Conclusion

 
 
6. How the Media Business Influences Society
Social Influences

 
Political Influence

 
The Special Role of News Media

 
Conclusion

 
 
7. Choosing the Future: Citizens, Policy, and the Public Interest
Regulatory Policy and the Public Interest

 
Media and Public Policy

 
Public Policy and Public Broadcasting

 
Journalism as a Profession

 
Citizen Activism and Alternative Media

 
The Limits of Media, The Importance of Media

 
 
Appendix: Select Online Resources for Studying the Media Industry, Media Policy, and Media Education
 
Notes

EASY TO READ

Kathleen Kuehn
College Of Communications, Pennsylvania State University
April 5, 2011

Good for undergraduate students - enough background for context, enough ideas for discussion, but does not get bogged down in complexity.

Mr Sheila Peuchaud
Cmmctn Program, University of North Dakota
September 16, 2010