Chapter 7: Radio (30629.0K) - McGraw-Hill

It’s now official. MTV has conquered the planet. In early 2005, MTV opened its first local channel in Africa,
the only continent that had lacked an indigenous version of MTV. Located in a suburb of Johannesburg,
South Africa, the new channel, called MTV Base, can reach viewers from Swaziland to Sudan. MTV Base
joins MTV’s 43 other channels comprising a media empire that broadcasts to more than a billion people in 164
countries and territories. No other network even comes close to those numbers.
MTV has become the world’s biggest television network because it subscribes to the advice of environmentalist
Rene Dubois to “think globally but act locally.” MTV blends together the global appeal of popular
music with local talent and customs. To be sure, MTV promotes its share of American rock stars, but it also
recognizes that audiences in other countries prefer local talent and local tastes. MTV Russia, for example, is
credited with launching the career of Tatu, two teens who have become favorites in Eastern Europe. MTV
Australia popularized local favorite Delta Goodrem. Nonmusic shows are also customized. The U.S. program
Pimp My Ride becomes Pimp My Bicycle in Germany. MTV Brasil televises Rockgol, a series of soccer
matches between local rock stars and recording industry executives. MTV Indonesia calls its Muslim audience
to prayers several times a day.
About 40 years ago, media guru Marshall McLuhan predicted that mass communication would turn the
world into a global village. Communication satellites, 24-hour global news channels, the Internet, and networks
such as MTV have indeed made national borders blurry. But even if McLuhan’s prediction about the
global village is coming true, international success stories such as MTV’s remind us that the villagers are still
interested in their own local village.
This chapter first looks at international media systems, like MTV, that are designed to be distributed to
other countries. Next, we will examine media systems as they exist in other nations.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SYSTEMS
The study of international mass media systems focuses on those media that cross national
boundaries. Some media may be deliberately designed for other countries (as is the case
with the Voice of Russia, the Voice of America, and the international edition of Newsweek);
other media simply spill over from one country to its neighbors (as happens between the
United States and Canada). Let us look first at those media designed for international
consumption.
>> Global Print Media
Many newspapers provide foreign-language or international editions. The popular ones
fall into two categories: general newspapers and financial newspapers. As far as United
States– and British-based publications are concerned, the following were the leaders at the
close of 2003:
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The International Herald Tribune, published by the New York Times and headquartered in France,
has a worldwide circulation of more than 240,000, most of it in Europe. The paper is printed in
28 sites around the world, including New York, Singapore, and Tokyo.
USA Today International is a newcomer to the scene, with a circulation of about 300,000, again
mostly in Europe. The Gannett-owned paper is printed in London, Frankfurt, Milan, and Hong
Kong. Most of its readers are U.S. citizens traveling abroad. USA Today recently became available
in Russia.
WorldPaper, published by the World Times Company in Boston, is distributed as a newspaper
supplement primarily in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. It is printed in 25 different
countries and boasts a circulation of nearly 1 million.
The Financial Times of London, as its name suggests, specializes in economic news and has a circulation
of about 300,000.