1. The Global Village: International and Comparative Media Systems

2. International Media Systems
Global Print Media – Newspapers
General or financial
The International Herald Tribune
USA Today International
WorldPaper
The Financial Times of London
The Economist
The Wall Street Journal

3. International Media Systems
Global Print Media – Wire Services
International flow of news dominated by global wire services
Reuters
Associated Press
Agence France Presse
ITAR-TASS
New York Times Syndicate
Los Angeles Times Syndicate

4. International Media Systems
Global Print Media – Magazines
Reader’s Digest – 49 editions in 200 countries
Time (International) – 190 countries
Newsweek (International) – ½ M readers
Cosmopolitan – 41 countries
Popular Mechanics (Spanish version)
– Latin America
Business Week

5. International Media Systems
Global Broadcasting
Shortwave or partnerships with local FM
150 countries broadcast internationally
BBC World Service
Voice of America
Radio China International
Deutsche Welle (“German Wave”)
Radio France International
Growing rapidly: global news, sports, and music channels (CNNi, CNBC, BBC World, MTV, ESPNi)

6. International Media Systems
Film and TV
Internationally, USA dominates
Box office (½ revenue of average film)
Videocassette and DVD ($20B+ in 2004)
TV programs (non-prime-time)
TV program format licenses (Jeopardy, Temptation Island)
Cross-border spillover

7. World Media Online Web radio stations Newspapers and magazines
New York Times Le Monde
Die Welt London Times
Asahi Shimbun Sydney Morning Herald
Asia Week Beat
Tokyo Journal Art Bin
and newsgroups enable informal exchange of news and culture
WWW access not globally accessible

8. Comparative Media Systems
Authoritarian Theory
16th Century England
Parallel with development of printing press
The ruling elite guides the low-intelligence masses
Public dissent and criticism are a threat
Compliance of the press through
Licensing Censorship Exclusive printing rights
Punishment of government critics

9. Comparative Media Systems
Libertarian Theory
Diametrically opposed to authoritarian beliefs
Matched freewheeling, rugged early America
Assumes people are intelligent creatures
Government exists to serve the individual
Citizens need to hear all sides of an issue
Government serves best when it serves least
The press should be free from control
Four theories of the Press (1956)

10. Comparative Media Systems
Social Responsibility Theory
Press has right to criticize government
Press also has responsibility to preserve democracy
Properly informing the public
Responding to society’s needs and interests
Press not free to do as it pleases
Government may regulate press in the public interest (example: FCC and broadcasting)
Many Western nations use this approach

11. Comparative Media Systems
The Communist Theory
Media are owned by the people (represented by the state)
The purpose of the media is to support the Marxist system and achieve the goals of the state
Works best in a tightly controlled society
Example: use of spillover by BBC, VOA, CNN, and others into Communist countries

12. Comparative Media Systems
The Developmental Theory
Government can mobilize the media to serve national goals in economic and social development
Goals include:
Information must be managed by the government
Primarily used in non-democratic developing countries
Losing ground to the social responsibility approach
eradication of disease
economic self-sufficiency
political integration
raising literacy levels

13. Comparative Media Systems
Figure Theories of Media-Government Relationships

14. Comparative Media Systems
Figure Typology of Media Ownership and Control

15. Comparative Media Systems
Role of the media in various countries
Developmental – develop and build; support government; provide technical information
Communist – propaganda, persuasion, and education
Social responsibility – inform, entertain, government watchdog and adversary, consumer support, free marketplace of ideas
Economic Differences

16. Comparative Media Systems
Economic Differences
USA – advertising, little government support
Western Europe
Some indirect subsidies
Scandinavia – direct support of newspapers by political parties
U.K. – BBC is state-charted, independents sell advertising
Communist – direct support by government, plus advertising
Less-developed countries – developmental journalism

17. Examples of Other Systems
Japan
Social responsibility model
127M people; literacy nearly 100%
120 newspapers with 69M total circulation
Yomiuri Shimbun Asahi Shimbun
Several news and business magazines
Nippon Hoso Kyokai patterned after BBC; yearly license fee imposed on all TV sets
5 commercial channels and 2 cable
Pioneers in DBS and HDTV
Media-rich overall

18. Examples of Other Systems
Mexico
Developmental model
106M people; literacy rate 90%
300 daily papers with 10M total circulation
Excelsior (Mexico City)
200 magazines, best-known is Vanidades (Televisia)
Government has controlled media through
Supply of newsprint Broadcasting permits
Bribing journalists
Radio and TV based on U.S. system
Produces telenovelas for Latin America
Significant media content flow to USA

19. Examples of Other Systems
China
Communist model
2000 newspapers with 200M circulation
Several national newspapers
People’s Daily Xinmin Evening News China Daily
100 financial newspapers; 10,000 magazines
Rural population relies on radio
650 radio stations reach 95% of population
TV penetration at 90%
Limits on imports, foreign news, satellite dishes
Internet penetration 7%