Commercial media exists in opposition to public media such as SBS and ABC, as the eyes and ears to advertisers and enabling them access to audiences.
What is commercial media?
- profit driven media production
- no government or license funding
- survives or fails upon business success
- purpose is to generate audiences
Major players in commercial media include
- WIN
- News Limited
- Southern Cross
- Fairfax Media
- Nine Entertainment Co
- Ten Corp
What is the form and function of commmercial media?
Form: either subscription, sponsored, or subsidised
Function: commercial, propaganda, social
Can commercial media deliver on both commerical (profit) and social (public trust) functions?
The social responsibility of the media in a democracy can be described as
- a truthful, comprehensive, intelligent and full account of the days events
- a forum for the exchange of comment and criticism
- representative of society's constituent groups
- the presentation and clarification of the goals and values of the society
To keep the media under control there are
- formal state requirements
- legal prescriptions
- state oversight
However, new controls on commerical media include
- government agency - regulating content
- state press subsidies
- license journalism
The 'style' of commercial media is often accepted as being corrupt and lack of quality, in that profit surpasses social responsibility. This can be seen to result in
- dumbing-down
- tabloidisation
- the 'desire to please'
- 'Mickey Mouse' news
What are the challenges and questions facing commercial media?
- how does commercial media continue to make profits if advertising revenue is declining?
- how does it continue to serve the advertsiers, the audience and the public good?
- what kind of audience can commercial media expect to receive?
- what cumulative effect does this have on the practice of journalism and public communication?
Potential Future Business Solutions
- greater competition
- move existing customers to digital
- paywalls on internet sites
- corporate media dominance vs. an expanded public sphere
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