Changing Media, Changing Europe

Has the communication of politics become professionalised? Who are the 'professionals' and what part do they play in the political process? Can the process of professionalisation be observed in different political systems? These, and related questions, about the changing nature of practices in political communication are explored in this book that looks at developments across a number of different countries. The different ways in which the idea of the professionalisation of political communication has been commonly used is explored and the authors develop a framework for understanding changing practices in political communication and in different contexts, for example, in respect of political campaigns and elections in general, and in respect of communication by governments. It is also focuses on these same themes in specific countries: Germany, France, Britain, Greece, the Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Sweden.

In the face of declining newspaper sales, challenges from online competitors, and flagging ratings for broadcast news programs, media companies have struggled to maintain their relevance. Media between Culture and Commerce brings together a group of European media experts to address the consequences of a system that is increasingly powered by global media conglomerates that set the pace of news and information. As national borders blur and the corporations behind journalism and broadcasting continue to merge, this timely volume will prove a necessary resource to those interested in European media studies and globalization.

We Europeans? explores the relationship between media and identity along the fault lines and fissures of the shifting ethnicities, religions, tastes, generations, and languages that make up contemporary Europe. Addressing topics such as film, television, public monuments, and the press, an international group of contributors reveal how European identity is shaped as the continent administratively consolidates. In essays that explore cultural homogenization, longed-for identities, and the fears surrounding transnational media, this volume uncovers the intricate interactions of history and memory as they inform the European present.

Convergence under pressure leads to fragmentation. Therefore, the role of the newest information and communication technologies and formats in a changing Europe must be analysed not only in terms of optimistic market projections but also in terms of realistic trends toward complementary fragmentations.

Using a sample of European newspapers and their TV listings as a stepping stone, Media, Markets and Public Spheres presents an overview of changes in European public spheres over the last fifty years. With in-depth analyses of structural changes in press and broadcasting, changing relations between media, and changes in media policies, this book explores how and why the media decisively influence most aspects of society. Media, Markets and Public Spheres will be useful to students in media and communication studies and European studies, as well as for those studying sociology and political science.

“Money Talks” explores the ways the financial concepts of money and capital are understood and talked about by a range of people, from traders to ordinary investors, and how these accounts are framed and represented across a range of media. This collection brings together leading writers and emerging researchers to demonstrate how work in media and cultural studies can contribute to debates around the meanings of money, the operations of capital and the nature of the current crisis. Drawing on a range of work from across disciplines, “Money Talks” offers a provocative and path-breaking demonstration of the value of incorporating approaches from media and cultural studies into an understanding of economic issues.