Press concentration, convergence and innovation: Europe in search of a new communications policy

• Authors: Lou Lichtenberg
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Printed press all over Europe have to face many similar problems; there are general indica- tions that print has to deal with structural stagnations. Circulation is declining; advertisers seem to be less interested in printed products. Print has also to deal with raising costs and with more competition. Due to those developments publishing companies preferred more a policy of saving costs particularly through economies of scale. That stimulated press concentration, declining ties with readers and ad- vertisers, and decreasing interest in innovation. For the benefit of media diversity governments are separately and collectively in the European Community in search for a new communications policy to deal with those problems in a more structured way. Next to a distant, passive role of the govern- ment, gradually in several European countries it is recognised that for a real freedom of speech it would be necessary that the government also fulfi ls a care duty, to commit to a policy aimed at uphold- ing and enhancing the diversity of the media.

Keywords

EN

press concentration; communications policy; information diversity; freedom of speech; innovation of press industry

• Publisher: Polskie Towarzystwo Komunikacji Społecznej
• Journal: Central European Journal of Communication
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 49-61

Dates

published

2008-09

Contributors

author

Lou  Lichtenberg

• The Netherlands Press Fund in The Hague, The Netherlands

Identifiers

ISSN

1899-5101