Commercial Media

-Lecture 6

FORM = subscription, sponsored and Government subsidised.

FUNCTION = Commercial (To make Money) Propaganda (Information dissemination)

In a world driven by financial profits, bottom lines and share market ratings, it was only a matter of time until the world of media fell prey to the insatiable greed of profiteers! Enter commercial media or the broadcasting of television, radio and other media programming by privately owned corporate media moguls, opposed to state sponsored organizations. Audiences and users seem happy to pay for the choice and the variety offered by these non government and non license funded enterprises. The commercial media companies on the other hand are profit driven, with the success of their ventures reliant not so much on quality news and programming but more on the generation of audiences who have the ability to produce large profits through popular airtime advertising.

Link to 'pay TV comes to Australia' - Here

An online report stated that in the essential media report polling conducted in March 2010 a significant slump in public trust as regards the commercial media in Australia was noted while the ABC kept or improved its levels of trustworthiness. “When reviewed in March of 2011 it was found that compared to March 2010, 5% of voters said they had no trust at all in it. That’s now 17% (18-24 year olds went from 4% saying they had no trust to 22% saying they had no trust). Newspapers didn’t see such a big surge in no trust— but it still doubled from 4% to 8%. No trust in commercial radio doubled from 6% to 12%.” Bernard Keane – Crikey online

Link to Crickey Online - Here

The parody is that while the credibility gap in our media is reducing, the profit margins of commercial media keeps expanding – this points squarely at the fact that the Australia public and global consumers are prepared to pay for entertainment more that quality news!

Table Below: Commercial Media Giants in Australia

Commercial Media Giants in Australia
FAIRFAX	WIN	APN	SOUTHERNCROSS	Nine	Ten	Seven West Media
Commercial ventures
Newspapers	Free to Air - TV Radio	Regional newspapers	Free to air radio and TV	Free to air TV	Free to Air	Free to Air
Digital Media	Sport, Telecomms	Digital Media		Magazines		Newspapers
		Radio		Digital Media		Magazines
		Outdoor Advertising		Events		Digital Media
Companies
The Sydney Morning	Win Television	97.3fm		Nine MSN	Channel 10	Sky News
Herald	i98 FM	Clasic Hits	Southerncross TV	CVC	Channel 11	yahoo 7
theage.com.au	10 Mildura		Brisbane 105	Ticketek	One HD	Pacific Magazines
Financial Review	C91.3 FM		Tripple M	Acer
Brisbane Times	St George			Womansweekly
Domain.com.au				Cleo
MyCareer.com.au				Zoo Magazine
RSVP				Cosmopolitin
				Go TV

If then, in a first world democracy, where the truth belongs to the people, how does the commercial media comply with it responsibility to society?

Over a half a centaury ago, a group of academics urged U.S. journalists to take on more responsibility to society... and suggested that if they did not, they risked losing some of their freedoms.


Enter Ethics in Journalism:
The commission known as, The Hutchins Commission of 1947 listed five requirements for a free and responsible press:

1. A truthful, comprehensive, and intelligent

Account of the day’s events in a context which

Gives them meaning;

2. A forum for the exchange of comment and

Criticism;

3. The projection of a representative picture of the

Constituent groups in the society;

4. The presentation and clarification of the goals

And values of the society;

5. Full access to the day’s intelligence. 

Commercial Media

Must therefore deliver both

Profit                          Public Trust


Factors which underpin public trust are honesty, reliability, and ethics. These  are regulated by Government agencies who regulate content, provide subsidies to compliant newspapers and to some extent especially in areas where free press struggles to exist, license journalists
 –  i.e. if we don’t like what you say you may very well not have the funding to be saying it!

But not all is left up to Government legislation and the meeting of formal state requirements  and government watch dogs – as a professional body journalists are more that capable of voluntary self regulation - , the Australian press council is such a body.

The people however maintain the power in the world of free speech.  Journalist Jurgen Habermas says that the space between commerce and government is where people can debate freely and form what is known as public opinion. The public are responsible to demand that the ethical wall exists so social accountability in the media prevails and often it is the Editorials that are the soap boxes of public opinion.

The protection of free speech is also ensured by preventing large media giants from monopolizing the commercial market. Limiting the % of control prevents commercial media from becoming corrupt and a place where profit over-rides social responsibility and quality is lacking. This according to John Mcmanus (Market driven journalism 1994) is the style of commercial media.

But it does not have to be, the down side of market journalism may well be the scourge of tabloidisation, the provision of Mickey mouse news and the dumbing down of fine writing as commercialism of journalism bends to fiscal demands, the up side however is that Australian newspapers are placed to take advantage of this new world order. Distribution via digital means maintain readership numbers even though revenue from newspaper ads continue to fall. Audience want and will pay for quality but the need convenience which digital commercial media affords. In an arena of healthy competition quality will prevail and Crikey some of them just make plain good reading!