Global Media Giants

Benjamin Birkinbine · Rodrigo Gomez · Janet Wasko

Jul 2016 · Routledge

About this ebook

Global Media Giants takes an in-depth look at how media corporate power works globally, regionally, and nationally, investigating the ways in which the largest and most powerful media corporations in the world wield power. Case studies examine not only some of the largest media corporations (News Corp., The Microsoft Corporation) in terms of revenues, but also media corporations that hold considerable power within national, regional, or geolinguistic contexts (Televisa, The Bertelsmann Group, Sony Corporation). Each chapter approaches a different corporation through the lens of economy, politics, and culture, giving students and scholars a thoughtful and data-driven guide with which to interrogate contemporary media industry power.

About the author

Benjamin J. Birkinbine is an Assistant Professor in the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research interests are related to the political economy of communication, digital media studies, and open source technology. He completed his dissertation, "Incorporating the Commons: A Political Economic Analysis of Corporate Involvement in Free and Open Source Software" in August of 2015.

Rodrigo Gomez is Senior Lecturer in cultural industries and communication policies at the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM), Cuajimalpa campus in Mexico City. He coordinates the Observatory of Cultural Industries, Policies and Consumption and is currently chair of the Political Economy section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). He is former president of the Mexican Association of Communication Research.

Janet Wasko is a Professor and Knight Chair in Communication Research at the University of Oregon (USA). She is the author or co-editor of 19 books related to the political economy of the media, especially focusing on the US film industry, and more specifically, on the Walt Disney Company. She is currently the President of the IAMCR