Western Broadcasting at the Dawn of the 21st Century

Focusing on the development of the economic and regulatory structures of different radio and broadcasting systems in Western Europe, 17 chapters are presented by d'Haenens (communication, U. of Nijmegen, The Netherlands) and Saeys (communication studies, U. of Ghent, Belgium). Beginning with the general theoretical framework behind the development of European broadcasting, authors look at the regulatory framework, the role of the European Commission, the restructuring of the communications industry, the impact of American cultural products, and the future of public service television. Eight country studies of Western European broadcasting systems are then presented, along with country studies from Russia, Canada, and the United States for comparative purposes. The CD-ROM provides data about the general development of broadcasting, as well as mapping features allowing readers to compare broadcasting implementations in different countries. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR