Media Industries

There are three sets of theorists associated with Media Industries

o David Hesmondhalgh
o James Curran and Jean Seaton
o Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt

You will need to able to apply their theories when you analyse examples
 Hesmondhalgh – Cultural industries

Many products are consumed when used and have to be bought again, but
media products are bought once and used over and over again – they
never wear out.

This means producers have to make money out of their productions the
first time round, because they don’t often resell the same production.

Large companies make products that are safe – they use star names and
simple narratives which offer a much better guarantee of success.

However, these products can be repetitive and this process reduces

innovation.
 Die Hard 2 (1990)

Die Hard 6

Die Hard (1988)

Die Hard 5 (2013)

Die Hard 3 (1995) Die Hard 4.0 (2007)

 Curran and Seaton – Power and media industries
Patterns of ownership and control are the most significant factors in how the media
operate.

Media industries follow the normal capitalist pattern of increasing concentration of

ownership in fewer and fewer hands. This leads to a narrowing of the range of opinions
represented and a pursuit of profit at the expense of quality or creativity.

(The internet does not represent a rupture with the past in that it does not offer a level
playing field for diverse voices to be heard. It is constrained by nationalism and state
censorship.)

News is still controlled by powerful organisations, who have successfully defended their
owners.

George Monbiot: ‘After urging land reform I now know the brute power of our billionaire press’
 Livingstone and Lunt – Media regulation

Ofcom is serving an audience who may be seen as consumers and/or citizens,

with consequences for regulation.

Consumers have wants, are individuals, seek private benefits from the media,
use the language of choice, and require regulation to protect against
detriment.

Citizens have needs, are social, seek public or social benefits from the media,
use the language of rights, and require regulation to promote the public
interest.

Traditional regulation is being put at risk by: increasingly globalised media

industries, the rise of the digital media, and media convergence.
Consumers may want information about harmful practices or seek
out information about the private lives of individuals.

Citizens may want protection from unfair scrutiny and harmful

practices.