Synopsis
How is it possible for USA Today to succeed while hundreds of daily newspapers fail nationwide? With the advent of cable television, why has the audience share of major networks suffered while local independent stations remain largely unaffected? And, why does the videocassette market bear more resemblance to the book market than the television programming market? From competition and the demands of labor to market responses and economic performance, Media Economics examines those forces which directly--and indirectly--influence what we see in today′s media. This concise volume explores such factors as government intervention in the market, the concept and role of the market, the impact of monopolies, consumer and producer choices, and media performance. In addition, this volume is richly illustrated with contemporary examples, situations, and case studies.
Well-written and practical, this volume is ideally suited for all students and researchers who want a lively synthesis of available work on media economics.
"Media Economics is an excellent introduction and guide to the concepts and major research literature in the field of media studies."
--Media and Values
"Picard′s primer nicely fits the purpose of Sage′s CommText series: to recite ′the substance′ of mass communication scholarship concisely and inexpensively. . . . [This] little book tells us where we are and touches on where we might go next. It provides a useful service at a thrifty price.
--Journal of Communication
"A concise work."
--Circular: The Bulletin of CIRCLE
(Cultural Information and Research Centres Liaison in Europe)
"Provides a beginner′s guide to the concepts, theory, and issues of media economics. . . . Unlike most other books on media economics available, Picard does not presume a basic knowledge of economic theory and terminology. Rather, he provides that basic level of knowledge. The book does not avoid jargon, but does provide definitions for most of it in the text, as well as in the glossary. . . . An excellent basic introduction. . . . Media Economics would be very useful as a starting place for courses in media economics, or as a supporting text in courses in effects, structures, or policy that want to consider economic approaches to those subjects. It would also make a good introduction to the traditional economic perspective and approach."
--Journalism Quarterly
"Provides a very useful short guide to an area of increasing interest."
--Communication Booknotes
About the Author
Robert G. Picard is Director of Research at the Reuters Institute in the Department of Politics and International Relations at University of Oxford, a research fellow at Green Templeton College (Oxford), and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Hamrin Professor of Media Economics at Jonkoping International Business School, Sweden. A specialist in media economics and policy, he is the author and editor of 27 books, including Value Creation and the Future of News Organizations, The Economics and Financing of Media Companies, Media Clusters: Spatial Agglomeration and Content Capabilities, The Internet and the Mass Media, and Media Firms: Structure, Operations, and Performance. He has been editor of the Journal of Media Business Studies and The Journal of Media Economics.
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