Ownership and Control of the Media

1. Neo Marxism- look to improve/update traditional views and looks at the weaknesses of the traditional view. It looks more into social inequalities based on gender, ethnicity and sexuality NOT just social class.

1.1. They look at how culture plays an important role maintaining inequalities within society

1.2. hegemony-dominance of a particular set of ideas which is often spread through institutions within society e.g. religion, education, media, with the media continuously reinforcing this as they are of wide reach within society.

1.3. neo-marxists look beyond owners and look at how control is authorised by media professionals. The media is a product of institution. The back ground of the media professionals could potentially influence choices made when creating media products. most media professionals appear of a white middle class male nature, coming from similar educational backgrounds . sharing a similar world view.

2. Synergy - This is linked to vertical integration and Diversification. This is when large companies come together and they can develop a range of connected products. For example Time Warner has a right to join with the comic character Batman and has produce many merchandise products.

3. Diversification- A Business can own a variety of media products that they can branch out to take over businesses that are outside of the media. the largest business companies that have developed in this way are called Conglomerates. AOL is a very big media company that merged with Time Owner in 2001.

4. Transnational Ownership - this is linked to Globalisation, companies can operate in a global market. Media companies are getting bigger by the larger companies taking up the smaller ones. they can then go abroad to different countries. An example is Viacom

5. Horizontal integration- Same sections of the media merging together or taking over companies increasing control and ownership e.g. Rupert Murdoch's news corp owning a range of television like fox news in the USA, BskyB in the UK and Foxtel in Australia

6. vertical integration- All stages in production owned by one company e.g. Rupert Murdoch owns the newspaper but also owns the paper, the printing machinery and the transportation for delivering the product

7. concentration- smaller organisations which are similar owning part of the media e.g. Rupert Murdoch owning The Times The Sun and the New York post.