"The government has developed various mechanisms for creating financial dependence on the part of the media, at both the national and the regional level. Owing to these financial relations, the media outlets become servile to the government, thereby seriously undermining own professional integrity a
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nd independence. The allocation of government advertising has been conducted on the grounds of political eligibility, in a non-transparent manner, disregarding the specific criteria such as viewership, ratings and influence. The advertising campaigns were awarded to media outlets whose editorial policy was biased towards the government, as well to other broadcasters after changing ownership and consequently also editorial policy. Using the state budget funds, the government fosters the sustainability as well as the rise of many media outlets at the national and regional levels, creating unfair competition and distorting the media market. In this way, a wide network of supportive media outlets is created, through which the media space is captured in order to spread political propaganda." (Conclusions)
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"Non-transparent ownership of media, particularly those financed by foreign capital, continues to burden Montenegrin media scene. Foreign media owners, as a rule, continue to support pro-government editorial policies. Their overall operations raise doubts of existence of clientelistic relations with
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the government. Competition among national broadcasters remains unfair considering that affiliates of the media operating in more countries in the region do not invest even minimum resources in production of the content relevant for Montenegrin audience, although they are obliged to do as holders of national licences. Measures taken to prevent illegal media concentration have given limited results, because they failed to ensure that news and campaigns published by the connected media are not controlled and edited from a single centre." (Conclusions)
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"Media ownership and media financing, although both crucially influence the ability of the media in Kosovo to play democratic role and demonstrate integrity of their journalism and business operations, have not been properly addressed through the media legislation in Kosovo. Lack of transparency mad
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e it possible for various individuals and groups with political or financial power to influence the media in order to promote or protect their own interests. In order to achieve their goals, these groups not only exerted political and/or financial pressure, but also infiltrated in the ownership of some media. Indeed, there are cases where representatives or influential members of the main parties have launched media outlets." (Conclusions)
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"Based on 25 in-person and skype meetings and extensive desk research, we identified a significant trend in the journalistic ecosystem in which information is created, delivered and monetized: the trend toward distributed production and delivery and subsequent absence of monetizing capacity and infr
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astructure. We concluded with confidence that quality journalism is a self-supporting proposition in this new ecosystem, and even a quite profitable one. We identified 52 means to generate revenue or reduce costs, and we identified what is lacking in and obstructing development toward the profitable exploitation of quality journalism in the digital age." (Itnroduction, page 1)
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"Why is advertising crucial for sustainability of independent media, and does it influence content? What makes advertisers choose certain media? Who within a company decides on advertising? How influential are media agencies? And how can media organisations conduct or commission audience research? T
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his publication gives straightforward answers to such fundamental questions. Advertising experts and journalists share their knowledge, based on their experiences in the Middle East and in Germany, in easy-to-understand, non-technical language, and even describe concrete steps towards clinching an advertising deal or organising an audience survey. This publication is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in familiarising themselves with the basics of advertising media planning and its relevance for sustainable media markets." (CAMECO Update 1-2015)
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"This book is an attempt to address obstacles to a democratic development of media systems in the countries of South East Europe by mapping patterns of corrupt relations and practices in media policy development, media ownership and financing, public service broadcasting, and journalism as a profess
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ion. It introduces the concept of media integrity to denote the public-service values of media and journalism. In analyzing the current situation of the media, the focus was on the assessment of factors that have been identified as posing a risk to media integrity, with an overview of past developments if relevant for understanding the current situation. Five countries were covered by the research presented in this book: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia." (Introduction)
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"In this report, Marie-Soleil Frère surveys the news landscapes of DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda. Marshaling an impressive range of data, she examines patterns of production and consumption, the often grim realities of law and regulation, the embryonic state of media policy, the role of donors, and the
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positive impact of online platforms. Most media outlets now have an online presence. SMS has become a basic tool for reporters. Interactivity gives voice to increasing numbers of listeners. The ease of digital archiving makes it possible to create a collective media “memory” for the first time. Chinese businesses are winning tenders for infrastructure projects. Above all, the unstoppable flow of digitized information enables ever more people to learn about current events and available services. “The average news consumer in Central Africa will soon leap to new opportunities,” Frère predicts, “without having to pass through the intermediate stages of a personal computer and a fixed telephone line.” The report ends with a set of practical recommendations relating to infrastructure, strategies to reduce access costs for journalists and the public, education and professionalization, donor activity, governance, regulation, and media management." (Page 2)
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"Dieses Lehrbuch gibt einen Überblick über die Besonderheiten, ökonomischen Strukturen und die Entwicklungen in der Medienbranche. Für die Sektoren Presse, Rundfunk und Internet werden die Marktstrukturen und die sich daraus ergebenden Wettbewerbsverhältnisse analysiert. Auf der Basis dieser Ra
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hmenbedingungen thematisieren die beiden Autorinnen die zentralen betriebswirtschaftlichen Handlungsperspektiven von Medienunternehmen. Der Wechsel zwischen Makro- und Mikroanalyse ermöglicht die kompetente Auseinandersetzung mit einer vielschichtigen Branche. Aktuelle Fallbeispiele ergänzen die theoretischen Grundlagen und unterstreichen den Praxisbezug des Lehrbuches. Die Neuauflage wurde grundlegend überarbeitet und um neue Beispiele und Abbildungen erweitert." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"The capitalization gap for independent news media businesses in impact arguments to extend support to independent news media businesses. There are also convincing arguments that providing finance capital has a significant impact on independent media sustainability, as proven by recent successful pu
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blic-private initiatives that have mobilized funding to independent news media businesses around the world. This paper assesses the capitalization gap, identifies entry points for philanthropic capital and prepares a compelling case for developing existing initiatives and exploring new ones that can bridge the gap and channel necessary funding to the sector." (Abstract)
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"This research project was undertaken with the purpose of exploring the ways in which government mandated programme production schemes may contribute to the capacities and sustainability of the community radio sector. The study involved a critical policy analysis of the Irish Sound and Vision Scheme
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as well as an international comparative analysis of funding schemes as organised in five other jurisdictions [...] The five jurisdictions that were selected for comparison were Austria, Canada, Denmark, France and New Zealand. The choice of schemes was shaped by the ‘method of agreement’ principle, which allows for the selection of varied national contexts (political culture and longevity of scheme, etc.) combined with the relative comparative nature of the policy under consideration. It is important to note the structural differences between the funding schemes. In Denmark, France and Canada the schemes were initiated as dedicated community media/radio production funds and legislation and policy evolved accordingly. In Austria the scheme was legislated for and developed as a dedicated community broadcasting production fund alongside a dedicated fund for the commercial broadcasting sector. In New Zealand the scheme was legislated for as a generic ‘local content’ production fund (open to community, commercial and public television and radio broadcasters) and adapted to enable a dedicated funding policy for access/community radio production within the wider scheme. In Ireland the scheme originated from legislation for a ‘national content’ production fund, open to broadcasters (community, commercial and public) and independent producers. The scheme is ‘generic’ and open to all of these sectors and is thus not a dedicated community media scheme, nor does it contain a separate scheme for community media production funding." (Executive summary, pages v-vi)
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"Quality journalism is expensive to produce – so how will it survive as current sources of revenue shrink? Funding Journalism in the Digital Age not only explores the current challenges, but also provides a comprehensive look at business models and strategies that could sustain the news industry a
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s it makes the transition from print and broadcast distribution to primarily digital platforms. The authors bring widespread international journalism experience to provide a global perspective on how news organizations are evolving, investigating innovative commercial projects in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, South Korea, Singapore and elsewhere." (Publisher description)
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"Divided into three sections, the first part tackles ways to maximize income, discussing the various income streams (advertising, sponsorships, spots, product placement, etc.). This section then analyses factors that influence revenue: marketing, brand building, advertising, etc., offering valuable
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solutions to the commonest of predicaments a channel may face. The second section, corporate planning, explains the importance of refining vision and mission using charts, marketing plans and an in-depth look at budgeting. Lastly, controlling costs is examined from many angles with samples of a production budget summary and a detailed production cost sheet. While this is in itself a classic manual for financial success in broadcasting, the handbook also contains two more articles, covering the same range of issues from three other perspectives while probing other areas of concern and suggesting field tested approaches to face existing challenges. This work is a down to earth handbook for survival under all conditions and a mantra for success." (Foreword)
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"Discussions on how to support sustainability of independent media generally focus on the political conditions, the legal framework and – especially in German development cooperation – on the quality of journalistic coverage. Nevertheless, economic factors are of equal importance, not only for p
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ure survival but also with respect to editorial independence and the resources available to enhance or guarantee the quality of media outlets. The German Forum Medien und Entwicklung (Media and Development) highlighted in its annual international Symposium, “Money Matters – How independent media manage to survive”, two dimensions marking economic sustainability: factors constituting a restricting or enabling media environment; factors supporting the business management of media in their endeavour to become self-sustainable." (Executive summary, page 5)
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