The function of media in Europegeneral background.

1
The function of media in Europe-general
background.

• form public opinion-not neutral.
• Allow citizens to construct identity-relate to
  community, region,
• State CHOICE
• 3 European media are pluralistic
• 4. geo-political contexts regional, national ,
  international (global?)
• 5. The truth media do not tell the truth -
  construct it.
• 6. the readers, viewers, audiences chooses among
  ranges of
• opinion and information then decides which to
  adopt
• IDENTITY.

2
MAIN DATES.
1895 first film showing Berlin and Paris. 1913
first European public radio broadcast
Belgium. 1922 first regular daily broadcasting
BBC 1935 first regular tv broadcasts, France and
Germany 1945-80 1948 European Broadcasting
Union. Geneva. 1952 first tv in Eastern
bloc-first tv in Germany. UK 1954 Eurovision
Denmark , Germany, France , Britain, Italy,
Netherlands, and Switzerland. 1955 first
private tv channel-ITV in UK. 1970 principle of
video recording discovered. 1978 first European
satellite broadcasting
3
Main dates cont.
1981 24 European countries agree on a common
standard for texts for screen display -
Prestel 1982 first PC on sale - IBM. Sky
Channel begins testing as first pan-European tv
channel BBC establishes Channel 4 multicultural
channel combining state and private
interests. Council of Europe issues European
Media Charter.(see website) 1987 founding of
Media programme for development of
audio- Visual production in Europe. Cellphones
first on sale. 1988 Eurimages fund founded to
finance audiovisual prod.- especially
film. Eutelsat 1 first pan-European satellite
coverage. 1989 first digital radio broadcast in
Europe. First appearance of World Wide Web(www.)
from the European Particle Physics Laboratory in
Geneva.
4
Main dates cont.
1990 post collapse of Sov. Union , commercial
broadcasting begins in former soviet bloc/
Eastern Europe-joint ventures with W.
European Companies. 1991 BBC World Service Tv
founded Euro Media Guarantees founded- branch of
Media programme public and private combination
to offer credit guarantees for film and tv
prod. 1993 Euronews founded as competitor to CNN
(see website) 1995 first fully digital euro
satellite launched. 1997first digital broadcast
via satellite. 1998 European Broadcasting
Union of EU agrees with US Society of Motion
Pictureand Television Engineers on common
standards for digital tv. 2000 EU Commission
assigns ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers) reposnsibility for EU
specific Internet domain names ie eu joins
specific country addresses.
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HISTORY OF EUROPEAN MEDIA
1
1945-1980 1.purge fascist structures 2.Radio
and tv followed BBC model of public
broadcasting 3.Cultural/ideological purpose-to
represent to people of Europe the need for a
more closely integrated Europe in international
context. 4, And to educate, inform and entertain
the regional and national populations. 1980.
1. Objection to public broadcasting presents
social, political, cultural values as permanent
whereas they are changing in Europe and around
world. That is state-supported media are
actually Instruments of control disguised as
services. 2. Technological development spread of
tv means the image becomes increasingly
important for all communication. 3. Commercial
and regional broadcasting increasingly
contests Monopoly of public broadcasting -in
radio particularly
6
cont.
2

• Economic factors . By 1992 European govts
  investing
• US 8.3 billion in media-
• Private sector 1993 advertising alone US 60
  billion
• Need to resist dominance of US producers leads
  to
• mergers of companies
• Vertically - control all stages of
  production(Sony, News Corp)
• Horizontally - same sort so media in different
  markets (French
• Hersant )
• Integration internationally (German co.
  Bertelsmann), better
• described today as multi-media integration.
• Multi-sectoral integration-other cos hold media
  businesses
• (Fininvest has insurance, finance and retail
  alongside press
• and broadcasting
• (Big question affects pluralism of media
  necessary for
• democratic society?)

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3. cont
7. Commercialisation seen mainly in growth of
advertising- counter to public service purpose
(see eg of tv ad introduction) 8. Development of
technology closely linked to 7. and fosters
in some ways .Modes of delivery , satellite
cable video DVD, internet And increase in
frequency space via digitisation of bandwidths. 9
Results in huge increase in quantity of
programming and in competition between media
companies. 10 Unequal distribution of development
across Europe, eg cable tv Around 60 access in
Germany, practically nil in Italy. 11.
Legislative control and development aimed
partic. at tv (press and film via local
censorship laws) 1980s European Broadcasting
Union attempts European programming via
sattelite(Eurovision)-unsuccessful because
Euro audiences refer local programmes, then US,
then other EU- same applies to film
8
6.cont.
12. Present situation established public systems
coexist and Compete with increasing
commercial-reflects fragmentation of media
operation in EU paralleling increasing political
integration. Markets increasingly determine media
offering (downside Minorities not supplied)
advertising promotes consumerism as Way to live,
not means. Technologyproliferation of systems
means transmission space No longer needs
regulating by states Control state control
parallels commercial control, both a form of
censorship , variously direct. General situation
change! Increasing commercialisation
with Established EU frameworks of governance,
law etc and devt. Of new structures for expanded
membership.