Christopher Ali
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252040726
- eISBN:
- 9780252099168
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252040726.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
Local media is at a turning point. Legacy outlets – television and newspapers – are declining while emerging platforms are failing to take their place. When it comes to the policies and regulations ...
More
Local media is at a turning point. Legacy outlets – television and newspapers – are declining while emerging platforms are failing to take their place. When it comes to the policies and regulations governing local television, regulators are struggling to address audience gravitation and fragmentation, the declining commercial viability of broadcasting, and the ongoing crisis of journalism. In an era of digital platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, regulators are also grappling with a question they had never anticipated: What does it mean to be local in the digital age? The lack of an answer has left them unsure of how to define a locality, what counts as local news, if the information needs of communities are being met, and the larger role of local media in a democracy. Through comparative analysis, Media Localism explains, assesses, and critiques these issues and asks how communication regulators in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom defined, mobilized and regulated “the local” in broadcasting from 2000 to 2012. Using critical theories of space and place, critical regionalism and critical political economy, and based on document analysis and interviews, Ali offers a fresh approach to localism in media policy. Through policy critique and intervention Ali argues that it is only through redefining the scope of localism that regulators can properly understand and encourage local media in the 21st century.Less
Local media is at a turning point. Legacy outlets – television and newspapers – are declining while emerging platforms are failing to take their place. When it comes to the policies and regulations governing local television, regulators are struggling to address audience gravitation and fragmentation, the declining commercial viability of broadcasting, and the ongoing crisis of journalism. In an era of digital platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, regulators are also grappling with a question they had never anticipated: What does it mean to be local in the digital age? The lack of an answer has left them unsure of how to define a locality, what counts as local news, if the information needs of communities are being met, and the larger role of local media in a democracy. Through comparative analysis, Media Localism explains, assesses, and critiques these issues and asks how communication regulators in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom defined, mobilized and regulated “the local” in broadcasting from 2000 to 2012. Using critical theories of space and place, critical regionalism and critical political economy, and based on document analysis and interviews, Ali offers a fresh approach to localism in media policy. Through policy critique and intervention Ali argues that it is only through redefining the scope of localism that regulators can properly understand and encourage local media in the 21st century.
Christopher Ali
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252040726
- eISBN:
- 9780252099168
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252040726.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
This chapter analyzes attempts in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom to evaluate their respective local media ecosystems. It begins by defining ecosystem and discusses the importance of ...
More
This chapter analyzes attempts in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom to evaluate their respective local media ecosystems. It begins by defining ecosystem and discusses the importance of ecosystem thinking when considering local news and local media within a specific geographic community. The case studies here include the FCC’s Information Needs of Communities report from 2010 (the “Waldman Report”), Ofcom’s Local and Regional Media report from 2009, and Canada’s Our Cultural Sovereignty Report (the “Lincoln Report”) from 2003. The chapter both laments the lack of attention given these reports, and argues for the importance of thinking holistically about local media especially when it comes to encouraging local news.Less
This chapter analyzes attempts in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom to evaluate their respective local media ecosystems. It begins by defining ecosystem and discusses the importance of ecosystem thinking when considering local news and local media within a specific geographic community. The case studies here include the FCC’s Information Needs of Communities report from 2010 (the “Waldman Report”), Ofcom’s Local and Regional Media report from 2009, and Canada’s Our Cultural Sovereignty Report (the “Lincoln Report”) from 2003. The chapter both laments the lack of attention given these reports, and argues for the importance of thinking holistically about local media especially when it comes to encouraging local news.
Christopher Ali
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252040726
- eISBN:
- 9780252099168
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252040726.003.0008
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
Chapter 7 focuses on two concrete recommendations for policy makers interested in protecting media localism and encouraging local news. The first advocates for comprehensive local media policy ...
More
Chapter 7 focuses on two concrete recommendations for policy makers interested in protecting media localism and encouraging local news. The first advocates for comprehensive local media policy frameworks. These frameworks must take into account the different platforms providing local news and local media, and the different funding systems as well. The second recommendation is larger in scope and argues that we need to reclassify local news from a public good to a merit good. Based on the work of Richard Musgrave, the designation of “merit good” would allow us to justify greater regulatory interventions, such as encouraging cross-media subsidies to support local news on a variety of platforms.Less
Chapter 7 focuses on two concrete recommendations for policy makers interested in protecting media localism and encouraging local news. The first advocates for comprehensive local media policy frameworks. These frameworks must take into account the different platforms providing local news and local media, and the different funding systems as well. The second recommendation is larger in scope and argues that we need to reclassify local news from a public good to a merit good. Based on the work of Richard Musgrave, the designation of “merit good” would allow us to justify greater regulatory interventions, such as encouraging cross-media subsidies to support local news on a variety of platforms.
