People, Organizations, & Institutional Dynamics
Levels of Analysis Media People Media Organizations Media Industries Media as an Institution
Media Industries, Media Institutions Mandate = regulatory system, set of laws Commercial Mandate o Operated for profit Owned by corporations Public mandate o Operated for the public good o Owned by "the people," (i.e. the government) o Ideal media as "cultural uplift'
The Dawn of Our Commercial Media System By late 1920s, American broadcasting system well established: o Privately owned (individuals or companies) o Decentralized: no centrally owned hub: in diff cities, owned in diff ways. There were networks to connect various stations though o Localized Broadcasting in Britain: o Non-profit, owned by gov't : BBC formed by Royal Charter - "Giving the public what it ought to have" o Centralized - One station in London for whole country
Why and how did America develop a commercial model for broadcast media when so many others chose a public system? Key Historical Moments, 1900-1920s o Pre-WWI (1905-1917) - Wireless communication technology invented and developed - Mostly used by shipping companies & amateur radio operators o During WWI (1917-1918) - Radio under Navy control Recruited amateur radio operators o Post-WWI (1918-late 1920s) : Radio Corporation of America established Didn't want military to retain control so set up corporate monopoly
All of the patents from all of the different companies pooled together into single company Corporate monopoly for technology patents, not what goes on the air : Imp for national security Amateurs lobby for "Citizen Wireless" What if RCA starts to dictate content? BBC was starting to do that Three Central factors for US commercial System 1. Persistence of amateurs (lobbying, rallying, protesting, vocal for notion of free open, civic-minded broadcast system NOT collectively owned by gov't, content free/open to be created by anyone). Formed Citizen Wireless 2. RCA controlled patents, NOT broadcasting content a. Stations owned & operated by others b. In 1920s, most owned by radio manufacturers, newspaper companies, educational institutions, department stores 3. The First Amendment a. "No censor tells us what we shall hear!" - used to argue for radio as a free market
Gov't regulation not completely absent : Federal Radio Commission o Ruled that airwaves (radio waves) - public resource
Gov't does take regulatory stance but does not write content
Now known as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), oversees television & internet What about film? : Film ruled "a business, not art" (1915) o Not covered by 1st amendment and could be censored by gov't But studio heads formed their own "self-censorship committee:" MPAA Serving the "public good" as ethical business practice that doesn't need a gov't mandate o Using FILM: physical medium that studios purchased and owned
Major Takeaways American commercial broadcasting system was NOT inevitable Result of continued interaction among key factors at certain historical moments.. Moments where the public interest was mapped directly on to the private interest.
Media People, Media Organizations
Mandates and structures of industrial operation don't ultimately determine products created o Actua