The study of the political economy of the media in the twenty-first century

Wasko, Janet

doi:10.1386/macp.10.3.259_1

Cited by 46 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…In this case, Prambors exploits television celebrity as a radio DJ to reach Prambors Radio's millennial listeners in the nine regions of Indonesia. Media and communication resources have become commodity-products and services sold by companies to buyers or consumers for profit (Wasko, 2014).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Celebrity Radio DJs in Contemporary Radio Industry: A Case Study of Prambors Network

Singarimbun

Karlinah²,

Hidayat³

et al. 2019

JKMJC

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In music radio broadcasts, radio DJs play an important role in the success of broadcast programs. The words and expressions used are very important in building relationships with the listener. As a form of business development, Prambors Radio forms a network that broadcasts homogeneous content simultaneously. For efficiency reason, the company uses national television celebrities as radio DJs for the listeners' needs. This study uses the commercial radio station Prambors Radio Network broadcast in nine cities in Indonesia as an exemplar for understanding the commodity process of radio workers. Using Vincent Mosco's key theories, the commodification of labor, to explain how services and ideas transform into commodities or trade objects, this research argues that Prambors Network uses national celebrity radio DJs not only to broaden the broadcast reached, but also to attract advertisers as well. Celebrity radio DJs, in particular, are leased by the company to the fans and are expected to increase audience number (share) for the benefit of client products. Through qualitative interviews with radio owners, workers, and observations, this research shows that Prambors Network has created a new strategy to build proximity with listeners by utilizing celebrity radio DJs for AC Nielsen radio rating and number of listeners. Their fame is used in all radio promotional materials, both on prime time morning show and promotion of the radio brand itself. The results of the exploitation of national celebrities as radio DJs are marginalization of local human resources and the broadcasting of Jakarta-centric information.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Celebrity Radio DJs in Contemporary Radio Industry: A Case Study of Prambors Network

Singarimbun

Karlinah²,

Hidayat³

et al. 2019

JKMJC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In news agency studies, which are sometimes seen as part of political economy (Wasko, 2014: 268), it has been the nationality rather the ownership of agencies that has caused most concern. The so-called international agencies – AP, UPI, AFP and Reuters – which were once seen as the most powerful (Boyd-Barrett, 1980) fell into different types of ownership – cooperative, private and public/state – and thus it became difficult to make an argument about the influence of their particular ownership forms.…”

Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While most of the research in political economy has concentrated on structures, markets and profits, using quantitative data (see, for example, Djankov et al, 2003), there is not much research on those who manage media organizations. As Wasko (2014: 265) writes, many critics have asserted that, overall, political economy is primarily focused on the economic or production side of the communication process, neglecting texts, discourse, audiences and consumption. It has also been argued that political economy’s macro-level focus overlooks micro-level data collection, particularly interviews and ethnography (Herzog and Ali, 2015: 41).…”

Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abnegation, accommodation and affirmation: Three discursive modes for the institutional construction of independence among national news agency executives in Europe

Rantanen¹,

Kelly

2020

Journalism

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The relationship between the ownership form of news agencies and their independence has long figured centrally in debates about the quality of news agency operations. Drawing on a discursive institutional framework, this article explores how national news agency executives in Europe perform a narrated role in the discursive construction of their organizations’ internal and external independence. We set out the concept of independence discourse, which we define as the variety of ways in which news agency executives use claims about the economic independence and the internal and external autonomy of their organizational operations. Based on a discourse analysis of elite semi-structured interviews with 20 European news agency executives, we identify three discursive modes for the institutional construction of independence: (1) abnegation, (2) accommodation and (3) affirmation. These discursive modes represent a set of public and private approaches to discursively negotiating the power of both state/government and shareholders/owners. We conclude by arguing for an expanded concept of independence, one which offers an account of the complex array of forces shaping news agency operations today.

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“…The political economist of communication Janet Wasko (2014) concludes in a review of the field's development in the 21st century, 'Studying the political economy of communications is no longer a marginal approach to media and communication studies in many parts of the world' (p. 261). Marxism has, after many decades, had important impact on the field of media and communication studies, which is good news.…”

Section: The Political Economy Of Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marx’sCapitalin the information age

Fuchs

2016

Capital & Class

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This article argues that a media and communication studies perspective on reading Marx's Capital has thus far been missing, but is needed in the age of information capitalism and digital capitalism. Two of the most popular contemporary companions to Marx's Capital, the ones by David Harvey and Michael Heinrich, present themselves as general guidebooks on how to read Marx, but are actually biased towards particular schools of Marxist thought. A contemporary reading of Marx needs to be mediated with contemporary capitalism's structures and the political issues of the day. Media, communications and the Internet are important issues for such a reading today. It is time to not just see Marx as a critic of capitalism, but also as a critic of capitalist communications.

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The study of the political economy of the media in the twenty-first century

Cited by 46 publications

References 3 publications

The Role of Celebrity Radio DJs in Contemporary Radio Industry: A Case Study of Prambors Network

The Role of Celebrity Radio DJs in Contemporary Radio Industry: A Case Study of Prambors Network

Abnegation, accommodation and affirmation: Three discursive modes for the institutional construction of independence among national news agency executives in Europe

Marx’sCapitalin the information age

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