J201Intro to mass communicationInstitutions and structure lectureRemember: topics that mass comm researchers study•the content of media messages•the effects of media messages on audiences (or lack thereof)•the audiences for media messages (and their agency in receiving those messages)•the institutions producing media messages (and their place in the structure of society)•history and geography of media organizations•division of labor in media organizations•technology used by media organizations•professional practices and ethics in media organizations•political regulation of media organizations•economics of media organizations•processes of production within media organizations•ownership of (and decision-making in) media organizationsDifferent kinds of media institution and structure research•collective publicly-owned(democratic control)•capitalist privately-owned(free-market control)two normative ideals of media organizations and social structurecollective publicy-owned media•means of production are publicly-owned•goal is to serve public interest•must have a revenue stream (taxes, gifts)•state management = less efficient, less innovative?•democratic accountability = diverse “public sphere”?•wall between editorial and state? (censorship, propaganda)•tendency toward elitist content?•tendency toward monopoly?capitalist privately-owned media•means of production are privately owned (or licensed)•goal is to generate profit for owners (shareholders)•must have a revenue stream (advertising, subscriptions)•market competition = more efficient, more innovative?•consumer accountability = diverse “marketplace of ideas”?•wall between editorial and advertising? (product placement)•tendency toward “least common denominator” content?•tendency toward concentration?media concentration•economies (and diseconomies) of scale•economies (and diseconomies) of diversity•vertical, horizontal, diagonal integration•local market monopoly•media cross-ownership•“synergy” and cross-promotion•internationalization and globalization•small group of concentrated, national, subsidized, non-profit media producers with small market share, primarily serving political & educational goals•small group of concentrated, global, capitalist, for-profit media producers with huge market share, primarily serving entertainment & economic goals•large array of locally-based but globally-affiliated for-profit and non-profit media distributors (depending on technology)our messy real
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