1) Ownership and control of mass media

Question 1

How did McCullagh define mass media?

Answer 1

Mass media are simply the means through which content, whether, fact or fiction, is produced by organisations and transmitted to and received by an audience.

Question 2

McCullaghs definition includes three aspects what are they?

Answer 2

Production of messages by media institutions.
Content of media messages.
Reception of message by an audience.

Question 3

Identify the three types of media organisation?

Answer 3

Community based e.g. local radio
Public/ state owned e.g. BBC
Privately owned e.g. News corporation

Question 4

Give examples of how there is now a increased media choice?

Answer 4

In 1988 there was only 4 TV channels, since 2011 there has been 1000 TV channels.
There was 60 commercial radio stations today there are around 350.

Question 5

What is media concentration ?

Answer 5

where fewer and fewer companies actually own what we hear and see about.

Question 6

What are the 3 major developments that has brought around media concentration?

Answer 6

Vertical integration.
Horizontal integration.
Transnational ownership.

Question 7

What is vertical integration?

Answer 7

The process by which one owner acquires all aspects of production and distribution of a single type of media product.

Question 8

What is horizontal integration?

Answer 8

One organisation buying up companies from different media, concentrating ownership across different kinds of media.

Question 9

Give an example of horizontal integration?

Answer 9

News corporation owned by Rupert Murdoch. It initially produced newspapers but now publishes books (harper collins), television (Bskyb), radio (Sky), film (20th Century Fox) and the internet (Myspace).

Question 10

what is transnational ownership?

Answer 10

The ownership by a single company of media organisations which operate in two or more countries.

Question 11

Give an example of transnational ownership?

Answer 11

News corporation- produces over 175 newspapers in Australia, Britain and the USA; it owns 37 television stations; and is able to beam programmes into homes through ownership and control of cable programming and satellite operations across Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America and the USA

Question 12

Explain increasing concentration?

Answer 12

Media products are costly to produce, it requires a large upfront investment. However producing copies of the original is cheap. This encourages media organisations to maximise their audiences hence vertical and horizontal integration also transnational ownership.
Vertical allows companies to sell products easier.
Horizontal allows companies to promote products easier.
Transnational ownership allows them to sell on a global scale.

Question 13

What is pluralism?

Answer 13

A theory in which sees power widely spread dispersed in democratic societies.

Question 14

What does pluralism argue about western societies ?

Answer 14

They’re a representative democracy where the concerns and interests of the population as a whole and of particular groups within the population are represented.

Question 15

According to Pluralism is any group dominant ?

Answer 15

No one group is dominant. To some extent all groups have a say in the running of society, and all adults have the freedom to choose who governs society.

Question 16

Explain reflecting public demand (Pluralism)?

Answer 16

The content of the mass media mirrors what the public wants. The media cater to the public as a whole or to particular groups in society.
Those who own and control the media usually take a pluralist view that they need to satisfy public demand to stay in business.

Question 17

Explain diverse society, diverse media (Pluralism)?

Answer 17

As no one group dominates, the media presents a range of views which reflect the diverse views in society. This allows the audiences freedom to choose between them.
However bias may occur as broadcasters sympathise with what people want to hear.

Question 18

Explain digital technology (Pluralism)?

Answer 18

All forms of communication, from statistical data to the human voice can be coded, stored and relayed in digital form. This can be seen as a transfer of power from owners to audiences as it allows them to choose what and when to access it (Murdock and Golding).

Question 19

Explain media concentration (Pluralism)?

Answer 19

Concentration of ownership is essential for survival in an increasingly global market. Only global companies such as Time Warner have the resources to provide audiences with a wider choice and greater range of media products at affordable prices.

Question 20

Explain media deregulation (Pluralism)?

Answer 20

Media deregulation is the reduction or abolition of laws limiting media ownership and regulating media output. Since the introduction of commercial TV, there has been a steady reduction of the regulations governing media and in result a rapid expansion of channels and competition between terrestrial, satellite and cable companies.

Question 21

Give an example of media deregulation?

Answer 21

In the UK, TV broadcasts were formerly limited to the BBC, a state owned organisation controlled by a board of governors appointed by home secretary. The content was regulated by rules of public service broadcasting which stated that the BBC should ‘inform, educate and entertain’ to in practice bring around a balance between entertainment and news.

Question 22

Explain why Pluralism welcome media deregulation in terms of private ownership?

Answer 22

Private ownership is the most effective way to provide a wide range of choice to audiences, also to compete with other privately owned media organisations.

Question 23

Evaluate reflecting public demands, diverse society= diverse media and digital technology?

Answer 23

Reflecting public demands- Does the media really reflect what we want or does it reflect what owners think make interesting news that will sell?

Diverse society= Diverse media- Due to media concentration the media is now being dominated by 5 big corporations which according to Bagdakian has pushed politics into the far right (conservative) and now have little room for liberal or radical voices. These view reflect the owners and the advertisers on whom the owners depend on for profit. So are diverse views actually being portrayed?

Digital technology- Audiences still have to pay to view these libraries of digital media, which are limited as the owners decide what products are coded and made available for digital access.

Question 24

Evaluate media concentration and media deregulation?

Answer 24

Media concentration- Due to this less and less local news and local voices being heard and reported for example, the largest radio chain in America has over 1200 local radio stations but only 200 employees as programmes are pre recorded and are broadcast by stations throughout the USA. (Bagdakian)

Media deregulation- How many channels do we actually need? Most people work during the days so when we do watch TV, we stick to our favourite channels and programmes, we don’t need 1000 channels.

Question 25

Marx believed that society is made up of two structures; the infrastructure (economy) and the superstructure (rest of society) and that the infrastructure largely shapes the superstructure why?

Answer 25

The infrastructure has the means of production which includes machines, raw materials and buildings, all which are used to manufacture goods, all which are owned by the ruling class. This allows for the subordinate classes to be exploited until they notice and overthrow the ruling class.

Question 26

How is the relationship of dominance and subordination reflected in the superstructure ?

Answer 26

Laws protect the ruling class and allow them to take profits, in the same way norms and values of society support the ruling class domination.

Question 27

How can you link the Base Vs Superstructure to mass media?

Answer 27

As the mass media is part of the superstructure it will portray capitalism as normal, reasonable and acceptable. And as part of the ruling class the owners of the mass media corporations will have a vested interest in portraying capitalism in a good light, so it will transmit a conformist view that reinforces the position of the ruling class.

Question 28

Miliband a Neo Marxist describes media as what?

Answer 28

‘the new opium of the people’. He adapted Marxs quote ‘Religion is the opium of the people’.

Question 29

Why did Miliband say that the media is ‘the opium of the people’?

Answer 29

He describes media as a hallucinatory drug which creates illusions and produces a sense of well being, which keeps the subject classes quiet and encourages them to accept the system.

Question 30

According to Marx does it matter who owns and controls the media?

Answer 30

No (but they believe it’s the bourgeoisie) because due to the structure of society, the media will reflect the view of the ruling class and broadcast dominant ideology as it’s an instrument of oppression.

Question 31

What is diversification ?

Answer 31

Some media corporations are not content to focus on media products, but have diversified into other fields. The best example of this is Virgin which began as a music label and record shop chain, but has expanded into a wide range of products and services including cola, vodka, banking, insurance, transport, digital television, cinema and wedding dresses.

Question 32

What is synergy ?

Answer 32

Media companies often use their very diverse interests to package or synergise their products in several different ways, e.g. a film is often accompanied by a soundtrack album, computer game, ring tone or toy action figures. A company may use its global interests to market one of its own films through its television channels, magazines and newspapers in dozens of countries at the same time.

Question 33

What is technological convergence?

Answer 33

a recent trend which involves putting several technologies into one media product. Companies that normally work in quite separate media technology fields are joining up or converging in order to give customers access to a greater range of media services across technologies such as interactive television, lap-tops, MP3 players and mobile phones