Western Broadcasting at the Dawn of the 21st Century

The main objectives of the series correspond to those of the journal Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research, also published by Mouton de Gruyter. The discipline of communication science is concerned with investigation of the structure and function of mass communication processes and their impact on society and social groups. How these processes have an impact on values, knowledge, opinions and behaviour of individuals similarly constitutes an important area of concern for the discipline. The Communications Monograph series emphasizes these concerns of the discipline through publication of books taking a European social science perspective. Inasmuch as mass communication cannot be studied distinct from other modes of communication, the purpose of the Series is to publish material covering other communication forms - intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational - in addition to mass communication. In other words, the Communications Monograph series encompasses the entire field of communication science as its domain of interest. Special attention is addressed to the publication of titles that serve as main texts for academic courses and focus on such topics as communication theory and methodology, mass media and production of mediated messages, media use, reception processes, and media impact, political and marketing communication, advertising, public relations and propaganda, media policy, new media technologies and electronic networks, media history and media development.

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Broadcasting is an important indicator of a society's political, economical, social, cultural and geographical context. While currently at a crossroads, European broadcasting remains highly diverse due to the fragmentation of national policies. The book introduces the reader to the topic by providing and explaining facts, figures and techniques of analysis. The contributions to the first section of Western Broadcasting examine the general theoretical framework. The articles in the second section map out European media cases. The book's twofold approach is reflected in the accompanying CD-ROM, which also contains examples and hyperlinks.