Media industries Flashcards
Ownership effects
Curran and Seaton: Their 3 main concepts
Media industry
- Media concentration: The media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily driven by the logic of profit and power.
- Effects of concentration on media content: Media Concentration generally limits variety, creativity and quality.
- Diverse ownership creates diverse products: More socially diverse patterns of ownership help to create the conditions for more varied and adventurous media productions.
Ownership effects
Curran and Seaton: Media Deregulation
Media industry
The process of relaxing ownership rules like the number of stations a single television or radio owner can possess in the same market, and whether or not a single corporation can be allowed this.
Critics of it say it can give too much power to individuals who own too many forms of mass media and will limit the audience’s viewpoints
Ownership effects
Curran and Seaton - The Broadcasting Act
Media industry
The Broadcasting Act 1990. The aim of the Act was to liberalise and deregulate the British broadcasting industry by promoting competition; ITV, in particular, had earlier been described by Margaret Thatcher as “the last bastion of restrictive practices”
Broadcasting was made, financed and controlled by the public, for the public. Neither commercial nor state-owned, free from political interference and pressure from commercial forces.
Ownership effects
Curran and Seaton: set up in 2011 The Media Reform Coalition is committed to:
Media industry
- Supporting media pluralism
- Defending ethical journalism
- Protecting investigative and local journalism.
Ownership effects
Curran and Seaton: What is The Media Reform Coalition?
Media industry
The Media Reform Coalition is a campaign organization established in September 2011 to unite civil society groups, academics, and media advocates in addressing issues related to media regulation, ownership, and democracy, particularly in the wake of the phone hacking scandal and the proposed communications legislation.
Ownership effects
Curran and Seaton: What does Curran argue about the result of media concentration?
Media industry
Media concentration has led to an increase in proprietor power. As Curran argues, media owners control the content and flow of news, either directly or indirectly.
Proprietor power= The influence and control that media owners (proprietors) have over the media outlets they own.
Ownership effects
Curran and seaton: direct control
Media industry
Curran suggests that proprietor owners often censor news content that conflicts with their political views or broader business interests.
Generally, large conglomerates that own news outlets also have significant investments in various other industries worldwide, such as banking, engineering, oil, and transport.
This interconnectedness can influence the type of news coverage they promote/suppress to protect their broader business and political agendas.
Ownership effects
Curran and seaton: indirect control
Media industry
Refers to the subtle ways in which media owners influence content without directly intervening in editorial decisions.
E.g, media proprietors might shape content indirectly by selecting editors or journalists who share their views, creating financial pressures that impact editorial choices, or prioritizing stories that align with their business or political goals.
Ownership effects
Curran and seaton: media globalisation
Media industry
Production, distribution and consumption of media products on a global scale
Ownership effects
Curran and seaton: Why do media producers overwhelmingly target ABC1 audiences?
Media industry
Advertising encourages media broadcasters to create content that targets the ABC1 demographics—audiences with higher income levels who can afford to purchase the products that advertisers want to sell. This focus on affluent viewers influences the type of content produced, often prioritizing programs that appeal to this financially capable group in order to attract more advertising revenue.
Ownership effects
Curran and seaton: The Rise of Media Conglomerates
Media industry
C&S argue that high costs and risks in the media industry have caused media companies to join together into big, powerful groups. These groups control many parts of the business, like production and distribution, to reduce risks and increase profits.
Ownership effects
Curran and seaton: What are subsidiaries?
Media industry
Small companies that work underneath big companies
Ownership effects
Curran and seaton: What is vertical integration?
Media industry
Where many large companies own subsidiaries that allow them to control all stages of production
Curran and seaton: What is horizontal integration?
Media industry
Occurs when conglomerates aquires subsidiaries that makes similar types of products or media outputs (AKA when there is a purchase of a competing companies within the same industry to lessen competition).
Curran and seaton: HI advantages
Media industry
. Production costs can be minimised
. HI aligned companies have the power and financial means to share resources that independant producers are simple unable to develop
. Big corporations that use HI are good at controlling the market due to their shared resources.
Curran and seaton: VI advantages
Media industry
Increased Diversity of Content
The breakdown of media monopolies can lead to a wider range of ideas, genres, and voices being represented.
Opportunities for Independent Producers
Digital technology and online platforms allow smaller, independent companies to produce and distribute content without relying on major conglomerates.
Encourages Innovation
Less pressure to follow the mainstream profit-driven model can lead to more experimentation and creative risks in production.
Challenging Dominant Ideologies
With more diverse voices in the industry, there is a greater chance of content that questions or challenges traditional power structures.
Greater Audience Choice
As ownership becomes more diverse, audiences benefit from more varied and niche content tailored to different interests and demographics.
Global Reach and Accessibility
Online distribution allows content to reach international audiences, promoting cultural exchange and global perspectives.
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Livingstone and Lunt: What do regulators have to try to do?
Media industry
Balance protecting people with offering them choice
Regulation
Livingstone and Lunt: Self-Regulation
Media industry
In the absence of state guidance, media producers are left to independently decide upon their own moral or ethical codes of production.
Livingstone and Lunt: Ofcom
Media industry
= regulate UK media
Main regulatory duties = address citizen needs while others address needs of consumers
Livingstone and Lunt studied 4 case studies of work of Ofcom
Livingstone and Lunt: How has technology made regulation harder?
Media industry
Downloading, streaming, etc, means that people can bypass controls, like age certificates on films + games
Livingstone and Lunt: Why is the internet hard to control?
Media industry
because it has billions of users
