Media Policy

Traditionally, the Netherlands has enjoyed status as a test market for new media. But in the past decade, such innovations have been severely hampered by questions about the future of public broadcasting. This issue has led to abundant political grandstanding, but little in the way of definitive policymaking. In February 2005, the Scientific Council for Government Policy published a report with practical policy suggestions. Media Policy for the Digital Age summarizes the Council’s recommendations, giving readers outside the Netherlands insight into the issues at stake and possible solutions, as well as a concise analysis that tackles the challenges of making robust media policy for the twenty-first century.

This volume takes a fresh look at media and communications policy and provides a comprehensive account of issues that are central to the study of the field. It moves beyond the 'specifics' of regulation, by examining policy areas that have proved to be of common concern for societies across different socio-economic realities. It also seeks to address profound gaps in the study of policy by demonstrating the centrality of historical, social and political context in debates that may appear solely technical or economistic. Media Policy and Globalization covers the institutional changes in the communications policy arena by examining the changing role of the state, technology and the market and the role of civil society. It discusses actual policy areas in broadcasting, telecommunications and the information society, and examines the often-overlooked normative dimensions of communications policy.

The Politics of Media Policy provides a critical perspective on the dynamics of media policy in the US and UK and offers a comprehensive guide to some of the major points of debate in the media today. While many policymakers boast of the openness and pluralism of their media systems, this book exposes the commitment to market principles that saturates the media policy environment and distorts the development and application of democratic media policies. Based on interviews with dozens of politicians, regulators, special advisers, lobbyists and campaigners, The Politics of Media Policy considers how governments, civil servants and media corporations have shaped the drawing up of rules concerning a range of issues including: Media ownership Media content Public broadcasting Digital television Copyright Trade agreements affecting the media industries. The book identifies both the institutions and the arguments that dominate the development of these crucial media policies. It will be of interest to public policy and media professionals, researchers, activists and students indeed all those determined to understand and respond to the impact of neo-liberalism on the contemporary world.

Papers presented at a seminar organized by Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Center (AMIC).

With reference to India.

Comparative Media Policy, Regulation and Governance in Europe - Unpacking the Policy Cycle represents the continuation and further development of a long tradition of media policy books, focusing on the development of media structures and media policy within Europe. It provides a comprehensive overview of the current European media in a period of more or less disruptive transformation. It maps the full scope of contemporary media policy and industry activities while also assessing the impact of new technologies and radical changes in distribution and consumption on media practices, organisations and strategies. Dealing with a good selection of critical issues in comparative media policy, regulation and governance, the book combines a critical assessment of media systems with a thematic approach. It starts out with the state of affairs at the level of media platforms, approaching these from a functional perspective, i.e. opinion and debate, news provision and entertainment. The book is both an academic book and a text book, as well as a source providing good practices for steering media policy, international communication and the media landscape across Europe.

Contrary to widespread rhetoric of deregulation, the media are objects of increased global policy. Generators of cultural spheres, within which social consensus is formed, the media are shaped by national and supranational agencies of questionable legitimacy. Policy delineates the form and content of global communications impinging on cultures, discourses and consciousness; yet, citizen representation in processes of policy-making remains fragmentary. In this insightful study, the author examines the role of the European Parliament, as the only international organisation directly accountable to and elected by citizens, in the formation of media policy. This critical account of supranational representation identifies the structural and ideological dynamics of powers in European media policy. Through detailed examination of major policies, the author demonstrates the conditions under which supranational representation can offer a resisting force to unaccountable global powers, and the ways in which it can contribute to system transformation and defend communication spaces.

Media Policy in Canada: Sources for Critical Analysis