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The European Media Pluralism Monitor : Bridging Law, Economics, and Media Studies as a First Step towards Risk-Based Regulation in Media Markets

The European Media Pluralism Monitor : Bridging Law, Economics, and Media Studies as a First Step towards Risk-Based Regulation in Media Markets

Native Advertising, or How to Stretch Editorial to Sponsored Content Within a Transmedia Branding Era

The present article aims to shed light on the broader paradigm change that has led to native advertising as a revenue model for the publishing business recently. The early emergence of native advertising is thus described in the light of branded content and brand culture strategies, a set of marketing practices that modify firms’ branding through a fresh editorial approach. The development of the native advertising concept is further problematized as a manifestation of the intertwined and blurring lines between communication and information, i.e., between marketing and journalism practices. We finally discuss potential implications of this type of sponsored content and some managerial recommendations.

The Dimension of Ownership and Control of Media

Concerns over ownership of media and their effects on pluralism first arose in the late nineteenth century with the development of politically active press barons in the United Kingdom and the United States, but ownership did not become a policy issue in most countries until choice about ownership of broadcasting emerged in the first half of the twentieth century.

Inter-Organizational Knowledge Transfer as a Source of Innovation: The Role of Absorptive Capacity and Information Management Systems

The radical improvements and massive diffusion of information and communication technologies within the last decade have fostered the development and exchange of new knowledge. Firms realize that they now compete in their abilities to access, acquire and appraise new information in order to enhance their innovation capacity by applying it. Davenport and Prusak (1998) note that though spontaneous and unstructured transfers of knowledge routinely take place across organizational and geographical boundaries, independently from the management of the process, companies are now expected to have well defined systems of knowledge management. A substantial literature addressing the competitive dimensions of information management is, therefore, developing. The important and not yet solved questions concern the conditions needed for effective information and knowledge transfer and how to establish them (Zahra and George, 2002). The exploration of these conditions is the principal concern of this essay which studies three very different kinds of firms: new, venture firms (our principal focus); serial acquirers (Cisco), operating at scale in world markets but rooted in a local ecology of venture firms, and Japanese majors, such as Toshiba, NEC and Fujitsu operating, in their rapid growth period, far from such an environment.

Human Resource Leadership in Highly Dynamic Environments : Theoretically Based Analyses of 3 Publishing Companies

This article explores the role of leadership and the effects of different types of personnel planning, hiring, and development in publishing companies. Based on three case studies from the German n ...Abstract This article explores the role of leadership and the effects of different types of personnel planning, hiring, and development in publishing companies. Based on three cases from the German newspaper industry, it finds that human resource planning is increasingly relevant to media firms, that many hiring practices lack sophistication and strategic orientation, and that development activities are relatively weak. The article suggests that greater attention to human relations activities should assist companies in coping with the dynamic environments currently faced by media firms and in preparing firms to develop and change as media markets are altered.

Market Structure and Innovation Policies in Switzerland

Switzerland is a small country that has enjoyed a remarkable long and continuous tradition of independence and political neutrality. The federal structure grants considerable autonomy to the different linguistic cantons. Each canton also has its own publishing and broadcasting companies. Evidence shows that the news media industry including the linguistic deliminated news media markets has experienced an increase in the level of concentration. The different news media markets still experience a certain level of competition due to the fact that media companies from mainly neighbouring countries are also offering their services and products in the Swiss markets. Due to the changing media landscape, the government has taken actions to analyze the situation and propose alternative ways to support the news media industry and to ensure media pluralism. Furthermore, this chapter discusses the different ways to trigger innovation in the news media markets in Switzerland and to improve the competitiveness of the industry.

Indicators for Media Pluralism

The European Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) starts from the assumption that, in order to obtain a complete and accurate picture of actual or imminent threats to media pluralism in a country, different sets of indicators should be combined (KU Leuven — ICRI et al. 2009). It distinguishes between three types of indicators that assess respectively legal, economic, and socio-demographic factors relevant for media pluralism. The aim of this chapter is to describe these different indicators, give an overall account of the methods adopted to select and measure them, and explain how they interrelate.

Market Structure and Innovation Policies in Italy

This chapter shows that the Italian news media industry is facing structural changes and an increasing fragmentation of the audience favoured by technological developments. News media markets present a high degree of concentration being controlled by a small number of media companies that have become diversified and spread their activities across industries. The fact that a large majority of Italian inform themselves via the television raises media pluralism concerns because the Italian media industry is highly concentrated, both in terms of revenue and audience shares. Due to the high level of concentration in the different markets and the lack of specific innovation policies, the Italian news media industry faces an environment that is rather hampering more than stimulating innovation. A revision of the public subvention policy has been recently initiated to make the news media industry more competitive and to support the necessary adjustment to deal with changing media landscape.

Guest editors’ introduction to the special issue on news media development and sustainability in Africa

Free and independent information media are fundamental for both the economic and democratic development of countries (Sanjukta, 2014). In Africa, and particularly in conflict zones, international donors and non-profit organisations mainly support media development. They provide initial investments to help stabilise countries and support their transition towards democracy or out of war. After a certain level of success is perceived, donors and organisations either lower their support or withdraw completely. The sustainability of media in the long run is therefore one of the biggest problems for developing democracies to solve (Cook, 2016). Furthermore, donor interventions have emphasised training, but much less so the development of strategies and the creation of institutionalised structures for educating journalists, media business managers, and audience researchers over the long term (Fojo, 2012; Kariithi, 2002; Susman-Pena, 2012). Among the five objectives that according to the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) media sustainability index are deemed to enable a media system to be independent and sustainable, the one measuring if “media are well managed, allowing editorial independence” scores the lowest for African countries. In terms of management, the ability to properly develop human resources and understand internal stakeholders’ concerns seems to be one of the biggest shortcomings for media managers (Steyn & Steyn, 2010). Filling this gap could stimulate employees’ motivation to engage in the achievement of media organisations’ goals and objectives. This calls for a new approach to African journalism both in terms of financial support as well as educational programmes, and a shift in media development efforts can already be traced. In 2012, UNESCO paved the way by revisiting its model curriculum for journalism education in developing countries. The new curriculum aims at providing knowledge about how to improve the environment in which journalists and media firms operate and engage in strategies that promote media sustainability (Picard, 2015; Unesco Report, 2013). This is a first step; however, the impact that the deployed support measures can have on media sustainability is still unclear and is thus worth exploring. Africa is a huge continent with 54 countries, more than 500 different languages, and a rapidly developing telecommunications network infrastructure. The cost of infrastructure and technology is often inaccessible, in particular for rural areas that remain mostly unconnected. Within this context, the development and sustainability of independent media is neither granted nor an easy task. Foreign direct investment can be of help, however, in which form and with what consequences? Further, a diversified coverage of topics and sources, both domestic and foreign, should be ensured to provide news consumers with a plurality of perspectives (Coyne & Leeson, 2004). In the last few years, we have seen quite a few established media firms from developed countries expand their business activities in Africa (Le Monde Afrique, Ringier, Canal+, Lagardère, Slate, Quarzt, BBC, Bloomberg just to name a few). These actions potentially foster media pluralism and transparency on one hand, as well as innovation and economic development on the other hand. However, in order to ensure a truly pluralistic perspective on the African continent, the existence of sustainable and independent local media is needed. JOURNAL OF MEDIA BUSINESS STUDIES, 2017 VOL. 14, NO. 1, 1–4 https://doi.org/10.1080/16522354.2017.1292712

Media Convergence is NOT King: The Triadic Phenomenon of Media “Convergence-Divergence-Coexistence” IS King

This chapter presents the triadic phenomenon of “convergence-coexistence-divergence” as model for describing the dynamics of current developments taking place within the media industries. Indeed, convergence and divergence processes happen in parallel, thus coexisting, as well as at different levels influencing each other. The variety of contributions to this edited book testifies this evolution and the analysis of the 38 book chapters that we have been conducting to conclude the study well shows it. By applying a qualitative and quantitative methodology to analyze the content of the different chapters we shed light on the reasons why convergence is not the only king driving the evolution process within the media industry, but on the contrary it shares the driver’s seat together with divergence and coexistence factors. Several practical examples as well as links for further reading enrich the chapter.