The evolution of make/buy contracting for UK independent television (ITV)

Abstract

This paper is an extract from the report of a case study into the programme supply make/buy decision of the UK's main terrestrial commercial television channel, ITV. It compares this decision in the start‐up period (1954–1964) with the latest operating period (1992–2001) to show how programme supply arrangements have changed. It also provides an interpretation for why these changes have occurred. ITV's continuing dominance of the UK terrestrial commercial market permits this paper to be examined as a country specific case of how organising structures for programme supply evolve. Due to the concise nature of this paper, only one aspect of the make/buy decision is compared: changes to the structure within which programme supply decisions are determined. The analysis is based on state archives and interviews. It is concluded that contractual ambiguity and political fear of the social impact of commercial television initially inhibited the adoption of a competitive programme supply structure. Later changes to this structure are attributed to increased contract specification and a more market‐oriented approach. A brief theoretical interpretation based on transaction cost economics, economic sociology, and the property rights literature is provided.     

Negotiating Postmodern Democracy,Political Activism,and Knowledge Production: Indymedia's Grassroots and e-Savvy Answer to Media Oligopoly

A grassroots-based and technologically sophisticated effort to counteract media oligopoly, online Indymedia (www.indymedia.org) enables activists to appropriate technologies of globalization, thereby promoting democratic access to citizen-produced knowledge. Combined with the efforts of some 150 Independent Media Centers (IMCs) worldwide, the Indymedia movement as a whole illustrates how citizenship is both global and local. This essay uses examples from online Indymedia and my local IMC to address questions of new media and democratic access, corporate media reform, postmodern resistance, and alternative news production. I argue that Indymedia's citizen-generated news production is a powerful response to corporate media consolidation.     

Dynamic Rhetorics of Race: California's Racial Privacy Initiative and the Shifting Grounds of Racial Politics

In October 2003, Californians voted in the high-profile gubernatorial recall election and on what is referred to as the “Racial Privacy Initiative.” The Initiative sought to prohibit the gathering of racial data in education and state employment. Unlike recent such initiatives addressing California's racial laws, this one was unsuccessful: 62 percent of voters said no. This essay examines the discourse surrounding the initiative over its three-year history and traces the rhetorical dynamics that led to its defeat. The analysis details the implications of this moment for hegemonic processes in general and as they relate to the specifics of race.     

U.S.-Produced Entertainment Media and Attitude Toward Americans

This study examines the relationship between Singaporean college students'attitude toward Americans and their exposure to U.S. exported entertainment media.

The 328 Singaporean college student participants expressed relatively neutral attitudes toward Americans and reported high consumption of U.S. entertainment media (movies, television shows, magazines, music). Exposure to American media was found to correlate positively with student attitudes toward Americans.

In contrast to some media critics' contention that exposure to U.S. media fosters negative attitudes among citizens of other countries, this study suggests that U.S. entertainment may influence attitude toward Americans in a positive direction.     

Mass Media

Communications Industry Report and Communications Industry Forecast (Veronis, Suhler & Associates, 350 Park Ave, New York, NY 10022—$500 each, paper, no ISBN numbers given)

The Annual Report Glossary: 1988 Edition by Richard Loth (FIPS Partners, 4579 Airlie Way, Annandale, VA 22003—$26.00, three-ring notebook, ISBN 0-924399-00-7)

Super Media: A Cultural Studies Approach by Michael Real (Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1989—$35.00/16.95, ISBN 0-8039-3313-4 hard, 0-8039-3314-2 soft)

The Olympic Movement and the Mass Media: Past, Present and Future Issues edited by R. Jackson and T. McPhail (Hurford Enterprises, PO Box 61256, 3630 Morley Trail NW, Calgary, Alberta T2L 1KS, Canada—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-88953-115-3)

Historical Methods in Mass Communication by James Startt and William David Sloan (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1989—$24.50, ISBN 0-8058-0433-1)

Communication Research: Strategies and Sources by Rebecca Rubin, Alan Rubin and Linda Piele (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1990—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-534-12144-6)

“The Communication Series,”

Mass Communication: An Introductory Survey by James Harless (Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown, 1990)     

Personal Malpractice Liability of Reference Librarians and Information Brokers

No abstract available for this article.     

Funding,Time, and Mentoring: A Study of Research and Publication Support Practices of ARL Member Libraries

ABSTRACT

This study is an exploration of how Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions encourage and support their librarians engaged in research and publication. Using an online survey sent to members of the ARL library directors’ listserv, the authors gathered information about the role of research and publication in the respondents’ evaluation systems, the approaches used to support this activity, the respondents’ own records of research and publication, and their opinions about which approaches have the most impact. The results indicate that funding, time, and mentoring are the most frequently used approaches to promote research and publication productivity.     

Stuck Behind the Curve: How the Academic Law Library Can Help Students Who Struggle in Law School

This article examines how academic law libraries can assist law schools in meeting the needs of students who struggle in law school. This article will describe the types of programs currently available to help struggling students within law schools, including academic support programs, and offer suggestions to improve the delivery of services to this growing population.