Transcript Who Controls the Media?

WHO CONTROLS
A Level Media Studies
THE
MEDIA?
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Who constructs the representations we see in the
media?
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Is it the institutions who produce the media?
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Or the audience who consume the media?
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Market-liberalism v political-economy
MARKET-LIBERALISM
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Stresses the power of the audience over media
producers.
Audience preference decides what media texts are
produced.
This is achieved through...
Purchase of media texts (CDs, magazines, computer
games)
Paying to access media texts (films)
Taking out subscriptions that provide access to media
texts (Sky)
Recording hits on internet sites
Audience research
MARKET-LIBERALISM
The power lies with the audience.
 Producers have to be sensitive to audiences.
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Hillsborough
tragedy – The
Sun loses
readers from
Liverpool
POLITICAL-ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
Stresses the power of the media producers over
media texts and their influence on an audience.
 The market APPEARS to offer freedom...
 However, there is inequality in whose interests
the media operates
 Those with more money or those seen as more
appealing to advertisers will have a range of
media products orientated to their needs.
 There are limits on the production of media texts
for other groups.
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POLITICAL-ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
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Producers tend to avoid risk, shunning
innovation and originality.
Hollywood cinema has a tendency to use tried
and tested genres/styles/actors/directors.
They also may avoid any representations that
may be seen as challenging the values and
ideologies of the audience.
ADVERTISING AND SPONSORSHIP
Advertising has had a major influence on the
structure and output of the British print media.
 Advertising and sponsorship contributes a
significant proportion of the revenue for many
media products.
 Magazines – advertising revenue is 50 to 80
percent.
 Media producers focus on providing the media for
the sectors of the population that the advertising
industry wants to address.
 As media is often produced to appeal to
advertisers, it will always promote consumerism.
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POLITICAL-ECONOMY PERSPECTIVE
Rather than media producers responding to
audience needs and wants, they are packaging
audiences to sell them to advertisers.
 Sees the power of media organisations as open to
abuse.
 Some media producers are seen as promoting
particular political positions in their texts.
 Fox news in USA – supports Republican
party/Bush administration.
 Media producers silence or restrict certain
political debates/issues/viewpoints being
expressed to help support certain political
agendas.
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IMDB
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This website is a good example in which an
audience is packaged and sold to advertisers.
There is heavy advertising and a link to Amazon,
online sellers of DVDs, music and books.
MAGAZINES
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Do a content analysis of a popular glossy
magazine.
How many pages are dedicated to advertising?
 How does the magazine promote itself to
potential advertisers?
 Who has the most power/influence over the
content of the magazine – readers, producers or
advertisers?
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