Critically evaluate the implications of the media dependence on advertising revenue in the context of the 'media industrial marketing complex'.

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MC253-political and Economical Analysis of Communications.

Critically evaluate the implications of the media dependence on advertising revenue in the context of the ‘media industrial marketing complex’.  Comment reflectively on the degree to which advertising financed media can provide all citizens with the information, which meets their needs as citizens.

One of the main sources of revenue for the media is advertising.  For commercial television, radio and the press, advertising is their lifeblood.  Advertisers have one aim.  This is to promote sales of their products and services through ensuring that their adverts reach their target audiences.  The profitability of ITV, Channel 4 and other commercial television and radio companies is dependent on their ability to achieve good programme ratings.  

In the second half of the 19th century, Modern advertising developed however it can be traced back to the early 18th century.  During what was called the mid-Victorian era the press in Britain began using advertising to cover all the costs of publication.  This was a successful venture in raising revenue and all newspapers today are filled with various types of advertisements ranging from simple black and white ones to full-blown colour ones.  The amount of money a newspaper makes from its cover prices and advertising fee depends on its circulation, the better its circulation, the cheaper its cover price.  Advertising ratios are used to decide the percentage of adverts in each newspaper compared to the editorial sections.  A large percentage depends on the papers circulation figures however findings have shown that national daily papers tend to have the smallest amount of space devoted to adverts whereas small local papers usually have the largest.  (Curran. 1997).

Beyond television, radio, press and the world-wide web. Advertising has its own media, for example on bus shelters, buses and taxis-‘advertising on the go’.

This was categorised as ‘outdoor and transport’ and although this sector grew in the 1990’s it still only accounts for approximately 4% of UK advertising expenditure.  (Meech.  1999).

In American print media, publishers became more dependent on advertising revenues then reader payment.  The papers began pushing past the boundaries and targeted the more affluent consumer not for the citizens. (Azcona.  Media and Democracy. 11/01/02).

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The 20th century subsequently saw the increasing proffessionalization of the practice, the introduction of market research, the expansion of media vehicles especially television,  (Henry. 1986) and the growth of consumer society.  For most of the post war period, many people in Britain had thought of advertising particularly of the hard selling television variety as something of a US import.  (Meech. 1999).

It was in the 1980’s that the conservative government extended the concept of the market to areas that had previously run on a non profit commercial basis due to the UK gaining high public profile. Advertising was heavily used to ...

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