Remember Five Trends in Remember Five Trends in World CommunicationWorld Communication

1. Convergence/Digitization1. Convergence/Digitization 2. Demassification2. Demassification 3. Conglomeration/Consolidation3. Conglomeration/Consolidation 4. Globalization4. Globalization 5. Deregulation5. Deregulation

GlobalizationGlobalization

TTransformation of communication ransformation of communication spaces and social relations spaces and social relations

EEconomic phenomena: conomic phenomena: transnational corporations (TNCs). transnational corporations (TNCs). Top 200 (89 in U.S., 25 in Japan) Top 200 (89 in U.S., 25 in Japan) produce betweenproduce between 1/3 - 1/2 of the 1/3 - 1/2 of the world's outpuworld's outputt

Cultural phenomena: texts, Cultural phenomena: texts, representation, identityrepresentation, identity

Cultural GlobalizationCultural Globalization

OOccccuursrs across national borders across national borders new political and cultural identitiesnew political and cultural identities characterized by transnational characterized by transnational

horizontal integration of mediahorizontal integration of media which which structures, processes, and structures, processes, and audience/media interactionsaudience/media interactions

in contrast to vertical integration in contrast to vertical integration (prohibitions against foreign(prohibitions against foreign ownership, ownership, restrictions on cross-media orestrictions on cross-media ownershipwnership

Global Media SystemsGlobal Media Systems

commercial news agencies: UPI, commercial news agencies: UPI, APAP, , Agence France-Presse, ReutersAgence France-Presse, Reuters

TNC's: corporations that maintain TNC's: corporations that maintain facilities in more than one country, facilities in more than one country, planning operations and planning operations and investments in ainvestments in a multi-country multi-country perspective perspective

Global Media…Global Media…

film: Hollywood!!!film: Hollywood!!! radio: U.S. commercial, public in radio: U.S. commercial, public in

Britain, Canada, Netherlands, Britain, Canada, Netherlands, community radio but withering supportcommunity radio but withering support

the Internet: whose rules? developed vs. the Internet: whose rules? developed vs. developing countries,developing countries,

dominance of OECD countries in dominance of OECD countries in formulating legal and regulatoryformulating legal and regulatory environmentenvironment

Some Definitions Some Definitions

oligopoly (--istic): occurs when only oligopoly (--istic): occurs when only a few companies dominant an a few companies dominant an industry industry

commercialization: when the state commercialization: when the state replaces some forms of regulation replaces some forms of regulation based on the public interest and based on the public interest and publipublic c serviceservice

Horizontal concentration Horizontal concentration of ownershipof ownership

a firm in one line of media buys a a firm in one line of media buys a major interest in another mediamajor interest in another media operation not directly related to the operation not directly related to the original business; or when it takes a original business; or when it takes a major stake in a company entirely major stake in a company entirely outsideoutside of the media; can result in of the media; can result in conglomerate ownership where firms conglomerate ownership where firms are in different lines of businessare in different lines of business

VVertical concentration of ertical concentration of ownershipownership

CConcentration of firms within a line oncentration of firms within a line of business that extends a of business that extends a company‘company‘s s control over the control over the process of production and/or process of production and/or distributiondistribution

Who Owns the Media?Who Owns the Media?

DisneyDisney VivendiVivendi AOL/Time WarnerAOL/Time Warner News CorporationNews Corporation BertelessmanBertelessman ViacomViacom (see (see

http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/)http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/)

Media GlobalizationMedia Globalization

new models of media ownership and new models of media ownership and control (mergers and acquisitions)control (mergers and acquisitions)

decline of public communication on a decline of public communication on a global basisglobal basis

effects: larger cross-border flows of effects: larger cross-border flows of media outputs, growth of media TNCs, media outputs, growth of media TNCs, centralization of media control,centralization of media control,

spread & intensification of spread & intensification of commercialization commercialization

Pro-GlobalistsPro-Globalists

tends to push stodgy state-controlled tends to push stodgy state-controlled media into 'better' mediamedia into 'better' media

dissemination of popular culture into dissemination of popular culture into far corners of the worldfar corners of the world

Western Western values (individualism, values (individualism, skepticism of authority, rights of skepticism of authority, rights of women and minorities) can be women and minorities) can be disseminateddisseminated

promotes media literacypromotes media literacy

Anti-GlobalistsAnti-Globalists

eextension and proliferation of xtension and proliferation of commercial model of media commercial model of media

media outputs > commodified, media outputs > commodified, does not meet needs of citizensdoes not meet needs of citizens

loss of cultural sovereignty as loss of cultural sovereignty as foreign markets are opened to foreign markets are opened to global market systemglobal market system

Crit. Of Globalization from Crit. Of Globalization from McChesney & Herman McChesney & Herman (1997)(1997)

THE MAGIC OF THE MARKETTHE MAGIC OF THE MARKET market treats audience as consumersmarket treats audience as consumers public sphere function is not importantpublic sphere function is not important 'free choice' is an illusion - audiences are 'free choice' is an illusion - audiences are

not free to choose their contentnot free to choose their content commercial media are dependent on commercial media are dependent on

advertisers, and advertisers want affluent advertisers, and advertisers want affluent audiencesaudiences

centralization of ownership makes it centralization of ownership makes it hostile to dissent & conservative in naturehostile to dissent & conservative in nature

Cont’d: Professionalism & Cont’d: Professionalism & Objectivity RuleObjectivity Rule

RReally?, under centralized media eally?, under centralized media ownershipownership

CCase of Conrad Blackase of Conrad Black Media censorship in Post 9-11 Media censorship in Post 9-11

environmentenvironment

Active Audience?Active Audience?

IIs the power of media firms s the power of media firms exaggerated?exaggerated?

AAre people brainwashed by re people brainwashed by Western media fare, or are they Western media fare, or are they usinusing it g it 'creatively'?'creatively'?

New ICTsNew ICTs

DDoes it open the door to new forms oes it open the door to new forms of content and entrants?of content and entrants?

CCan the Internet become a an the Internet become a democratic mass medium, or is the democratic mass medium, or is the Internet becoming corporatized?Internet becoming corporatized?

Brief History of Media Brief History of Media Globalization- Post WWIIGlobalization- Post WWII

U.S. TNCs dominateU.S. TNCs dominate DDoctrine of 'free flow of information' octrine of 'free flow of information'

was official policy in UNESCOwas official policy in UNESCO PPostwar reconstruction of German, ostwar reconstruction of German,

Italian and Japanese mediItalian and Japanese media a systemssystems U.S. Voice of America - largest U.S. Voice of America - largest

broadcaster in worldbroadcaster in world English as the 'official' world English as the 'official' world

languagelanguage

U.S. advertising agencies dominantU.S. advertising agencies dominant RRecorded music industry - ecorded music industry -

concentration and cross-media concentration and cross-media corporate controlcorporate control

TV: news and sports fare big for TV: news and sports fare big for U.S. broadcasting and for exportU.S. broadcasting and for export

1970s1970s

global media system profit driven, global media system profit driven, TNC dominatedTNC dominated advanced capitalist advanced capitalist nations, particularly the U.S.nations, particularly the U.S.

PPost-Colonialismost-Colonialism NAM - Movement of Non-Aligned NAM - Movement of Non-Aligned

Nations, criticized current media Nations, criticized current media system for: western monopolization system for: western monopolization of globalof global

news services; attention to needs news services; attention to needs of developed nationsof developed nations

domination of entertainment domination of entertainment programmingprogramming

underminingundermining of national of national sovereigntysovereignty

NWICO DebateNWICO Debate

UUNESCO and MacBride CommissionNESCO and MacBride Commission study of global communications and study of global communications and suggested solutionssuggested solutions

1978 Mass Media Declaration passed 1978 Mass Media Declaration passed by UNESCO, called forby UNESCO, called for eliminating global eliminating global media imbalances and need for media media imbalances and need for media to meet national development purposesto meet national development purposes

rejected staterejected state media monopoliesmedia monopolies supported freedom of journalists and supported freedom of journalists and

freedom of pressfreedom of press

U.S., Britain did not have sympathy U.S., Britain did not have sympathy for NWICO and UNESCO attackedfor NWICO and UNESCO attacked

tthey withdrew from UNESCO in hey withdrew from UNESCO in 19851985

1980s1980s wave of global liberalizationwave of global liberalization TNC expansion, many inter-corporate TNC expansion, many inter-corporate

alliances, international financial alliancesalliances, international financial alliances IMF- International Monetary FundIMF- International Monetary Fund World Bank - developing country lending World Bank - developing country lending

agency, infrastructureagency, infrastructure buildingbuilding GATT- General Agreement on tariffs & GATT- General Agreement on tariffs &

TradeTrade WTO- World Trade OrganizationWTO- World Trade Organization

1990s1990s

NAFTA - North American Free NAFTA - North American Free Trade AgreementTrade Agreement (really late (really late 1980s)1980s)

FTAA (Free Trade Agreement on FTAA (Free Trade Agreement on the Americas)the Americas)

CurrentlyCurrently

Culture and trade debatesCulture and trade debates Indigenous cultural protectionIndigenous cultural protection Right to Communicate platformsRight to Communicate platforms Exacerbated by Internet, butExacerbated by Internet, but Digital Divide IssuesDigital Divide Issues