“Media Organization” is a deceptively simple term encompassing a countless array of institutions and individuals who differ in purpose, scope, method, and cultural context. Mass media include all forms of information communicated to large groups of people, form a handmade sign to an international news network.
There is no standard for how large the audience needs to be before communication becomes “mass” communication. There are also no constraints on the type of information being presented.
Features of media organizations:-
Has to cater to different markets – consumer market/revenue vs. advertising market/revenue.
Concerned about the social composition of the market – income and education levels, whether it is homogeneous or concentrated geographically.
Competition between media and uniformity in terms of product.
High ‘first’ copy cost – dependent on economies of scale and hence vulnerable to demand and advertising revenue.
Ownership and control – how are the powers exercised?
How do we study media organizations?
Three Approaches;
There is no standard for how large the audience needs to be before communication becomes “mass” communication. There are also no constraints on the type of information being presented.
Features of media organizations:-
Has to cater to different markets – consumer market/revenue vs. advertising market/revenue.
Concerned about the social composition of the market – income and education levels, whether it is homogeneous or concentrated geographically.
Competition between media and uniformity in terms of product.
High ‘first’ copy cost – dependent on economies of scale and hence vulnerable to demand and advertising revenue.
Ownership and control – how are the powers exercised?
How do we study media organizations?
Three Approaches;
Economic/Industrial Perspective: - looking at the distinctive features of media as economic enterprises.
Political Economic Theory: - looks at the processes of concentration and the power of ownership but also the cultural and social implications of commercialization.
Public Interest: - examine media structures according to a public interest perspective against the kinds of expectations imposed on it from a national and political perspective.
Political Economic Theory: - looks at the processes of concentration and the power of ownership but also the cultural and social implications of commercialization.
Public Interest: - examine media structures according to a public interest perspective against the kinds of expectations imposed on it from a national and political perspective.