You are in: North America
Change location

You are here

Book > Textbooks > Mass Communication

Disable VAT on Taiwan

Unfortunately, as of 1 January 2020 SAGE Ltd is no longer able to support sales of electronically supplied services to Taiwan customers that are not Taiwan VAT registered. We apologise for any inconvenience. For more information or to place a print-only order, please contact uk.customerservices@sagepub.co.uk.

The Business of Media
Share
Share

The Business of Media
Corporate Media and the Public Interest

Second Edition
August 2005 | 336 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Download flyer
The Business of Media presents the critical, yet careful, analysis of the rapidly changing media industry that students need in order to get behind the headlines and understand our increasingly media-saturated society. The writing is clear and jargon-free, accessible to undergraduates without requiring a background in economics. 

Key Features:

  • Examines the basic dynamics that underlie the changing media industry and the possible influence these changes are having on society (society's insatiable quest for profits and democratic society's need for a media system that serves the public interest)
  • Draws from both social and economic theory to create two conceptual frameworks: market model, and public sphere model
  • Focus on devlopments in the last decade to major media industry trends mapping structural organization, the rise of media conglomerates, and their new strategies  
  • Assesses the impact of recent changes in the media industry using the public sphere model on social and political life
  • Offers clear, concise, jargon-free writing accessible to all students and professionals without an economics background 
 
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
Report this review

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
Report this review
Key features
  • Draws from both social and economic theory  to creat two conceptual frameworks: market model, and public sphere model
  • Focuses on devlopments in the last decade to major media industry trends mapping structural organization, the rise of media conglomerates, and their new strategies
  •  Assesses the impact of recent changes in the media industry using the public sphere model on social and political life
  • Offers clear, concise, jargon-free writing accessible to all students and professionals without an economics background

Sage College Publishing

You can purchase or sample this product on our Sage College Publishing site:

Go To College Site

Related Products

Television & New Media
Television & New Media
New Media & Society
New Media & Society
Show More Show Less