Media Industries

Media Industries: History, Theory and Method is among the first texts to explore the evolving field of media industry studies and offer an innovative blueprint for future study and analysis.

• capitalizes on the current social and cultural environment of unprecedented technical change, convergence, and globalization across a range of textual, institutional and theoretical perspectives
• brings together newly commissioned essays by leading scholars in film, media, communications and cultural studies
• includes case studies of film, television and digital media to vividly illustrate the dynamic transformations taking place across national, regional and international contexts

List of Figures vii

Acknowledgments viii

Notes on Contributors ix

Introduction: Does the World Really Need One More Field of Study? 1
Jennifer Holt and Alisa Perren

Part I: History 17

Editors' Introduction 19

1 Nailing Mercury: The Problem of Media Industry Historiography 21
Michele Hilmes

2 Manufacturing Heritage: The Moving Image Archive and Media Industry Studies 34
Caroline Frick

3 Film Industry Studies and Hollywood History 45
Thomas Schatz

4 Historicizing TV Networking: Broadcasting, Cable, and the Case of ESPN 57
Victoria E. Johnson

5 From Sponsorship to Spots: Advertising and the Development of Electronic Media 69
Cynthia B. Meyers

6 New Media as Transformed Media Industry 81
P. David Marshall

Part II: Theory 91

Editors' Introduction 93

7 Media Industries, Political Economy, and Media/Cultural Studies: An Articulation 95
Douglas Kellner

8 Thinking Globally: From Media Imperialism to Media Capital 108
Michael Curtin

9 Thinking Regionally: Singular in Diversity and Diverse in Unity 120
Cristina Venegas

10 Thinking Nationally: Domicile, Distinction, and Dysfunction in Global Media Exchange 132
Nitin Govil

11 Convergence Culture and Media Work 144
Mark Deuze

Part III: Methodologies and Models 157

Editors' Introduction 159

12 Media Economics and the Study of Media Industries 161
Philip M. Napoli

13 Regulation and the Law: A Critical Cultural Citizenship Approach 171
John McMurria

14 Can Natural Luddites Make Things Explode or Travel Faster? The New Humanities, Cultural Policy Studies, and Creative Industries 184
Toby Miller

15 Cultures of Production: Studying Industry's Deep Texts, Ref lexive Rituals, and Managed Self-Disclosures 199
John Thornton Caldwell

16 The Moral Economy of Web 2.0: Audience Research and Convergence Culture 213
Joshua Green and Henry Jenkins

Part IV: The Future: Four Visions 227

Editors' Introduction 229

17 From the Consciousness Industry to the Creative Industries: Consumer-Created Content, Social Network Markets, and the Growth of Knowledge 231
John Hartley

18 Politics, Theory, and Method in Media Industries Research 245
David Hesmondhalgh

19 An Industry Perspective: Calibrating the Velocity of Change 256
Jordan Levin

20 Toward Synthetic Media Industry Research 264
Horace Newcomb

Index 271

"We have Holt and Perren's superb book to help us move forward. Media Industries will be of great interest to students and scholars considering an industrial turn in their research. The book can be successfully integrated into existing undergraduate and graduate film and television classes. It can also be taught as the centerpiece of a course we will hopefully see cropping up more and more: media industry studies." (Television & New Media, March 2010)

Jennifer Holt is Assistant Professor of film and media studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Alisa Perren is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Georgia State University.

Media Industries: History, Theory and Method outlines the diverse ways that media industries have been studied in the past and offers an innovative blueprint for future research and criticism. Contextualizing the current moment of unprecedented technological change, media convergence, and globalization, the authors engage in cross-disciplinary exploration from a range of historical, critical and theoretical perspectives.

Bringing together newly commissioned essays by leading scholars in film, media, communication, sociology and cultural studies, Media Industries constructs a unique road map for industrial analysis of film, radio, television, advertising and new media. Collectively, these 21 essays provide a crucial resource for those encountering the study of the media industries for the first time as well as for those interested in conducting cutting-edge research in this burgeoning field. Rich explanations of key terms and foundational ideas vividly illustrate the dynamic transformations taking place across varied national, regional and international contexts.

"At last! Holt and Perren bring together a first-rate list of authors to establish the place and chart the future of media industry studies. Smart, thorough, and comprehensive, this collection is a welcome resource for all who study and teach about media industries."
—Amanda D. Lotz, University of Michigan and author of The Television Will Be Revolutionized

"Holt and Perren's collection of original, engaging, and vital scholarship on the theory, history and 'practice' of media industries is truly illuminating and groundbreaking. No other work speaks to the study of media industries in such a thoughtful and comprehensive manner. For both scholars and 'laymen' interested in the media industries, it's a joy to read."
—Justin Wyatt, Senior Research Consultant, Hypothesis Group & author, High Concept: Movies & Marketing in Hollywood