Fulbright Papers: Proceedings of Colloquia
1 total work
Vol 13
This text assesses the transformation of broadcasting currently taking place in Europe, where deregulation, coupled with advances in satellite, cable and video technology, promises consumer choice on an American scale. The contributors, from the UK, France, the US and Canada, explore the paradoxes of the new era in broadcasting. Competition from more channels is leading to less diversity in programming; ensuring a voice for minority groups and interests is requiring elaborate regulation; and the creation of a free market in the EC is spawning an array of inconsistent statutes. The writers show how broadcasting remains political; governments strive to keep control, particularly over television, because of its assumed importance in forming public attitudes. Whatever the rhetoric, they suggest, images of elections, of war and of terrorism will be tightly managed.