Global Media

This book is about the processes of globalization, demonstrated through a comparative study of three television case histories in Asia. Also illustrated are different approaches to providing television services in the world: public service (NHK in Japan), state (CCTV in China) and commercial (STAR TV, based in Hong Kong).
The case histories show how television is becoming global. The condition of the television industry, of the production of news, and in particular of the public service broadcaster appear in a symbolic role, metaphors for the reconfiguration of relationships between the global and the local.
An unusual aspect is that conclusions on the nature of globalization have a firm grounding in empirical research. The author as worked extensively in journalism and in television, and based the three case histories on interviews with leading participants in exemplar events: the Japanese attempts to set up a rival to CNN and to 'internationalize' NHK; CCTV's defense of its dominant position, under pressure from upheavals in both Chinese society and the government bureaucracy; and the establishment, sale and erratic progress of Rupert Murdoch's STAE TV.
Through its focus, "Global Media" addresses a considerable lacuna in the media studies literature, which tends to have a heavy Western bias. It is an original addition to the literature on globalization, which is often abstract and anecdotal, in addition to making a major contribution to comparative research in Asia. Finally, it offers a thoughtful causal layered analysis, with a concluding argument in favor of public service television.