The communications industry
Proposed to be offered next in 1998
6 points * 3 hours per week * Berwick
Objectives This subject will explain the economic structure of the industry, including issues of ownership and control. The subject will concentrate on newspapers, radio, television and the technical information industry, with particular emphasis on the four decades since the introduction of television. Students will be introduced to sociological research on the patterns and the impact of various segments of the industry on identified groups.
Synopsis This subject will cover the structure of the communications industry. Newspapers: ownership, sales, ownership and influence. Nineteen fifty-six: the introduction of television and the reaction of radio. Family companies and media barons. The rise and influence of the `wire services': MAP and Reuters. The impact of the communications industry. Research on age, class and gender patterns in media access and usage. Hours spent with various mediums: exposure and impact. The politics of government regulations. Pay TV and cable TV. The information superhighway: access and quality. Cross-ownership rules. The intersection of work and leisure. Emerging multimedia forms blur the distinction between work and leisure uses, between television screen and computer screen.
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