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The Impact of Media Concentration on Professional ... - OSCE

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Newspaper reach (%)All Adults 40.1Men 50.9Women 30.1MHS (Main Household Shopper) 32.6Source: World Associati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Newspapers (2003) World Press Trends 2003.A government survey in 1995 found that <strong>on</strong>ly 60 per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>the populati<strong>on</strong> read a newspaper at least <strong>on</strong>ce a week, withmore than a third admitting to never picking up a paper at all.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> combined circulati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the twelve leading dailies is lessthan 3.7 milli<strong>on</strong>. 92 If you c<strong>on</strong>clude from this that most Italiansdepend <strong>on</strong> televisi<strong>on</strong> and radio for news, the unbalanced c<strong>on</strong>trol<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the most important TV stati<strong>on</strong>s by Prime Minister SilvioBerlusc<strong>on</strong>i is even more startling. Berlusc<strong>on</strong>i is c<strong>on</strong>trolling,besides his three commercial TV stati<strong>on</strong>s (Canale 5, Italia 1 andRete 4), the public service broadcasting stati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> RAI as well.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>OSCE</strong> Representative <strong>on</strong> Freedom <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the <str<strong>on</strong>g>Media</str<strong>on</strong>g> refers tothis ownership situati<strong>on</strong> as a “c<strong>on</strong>stituti<strong>on</strong>al challenge”.Berlusc<strong>on</strong>i’s TV stati<strong>on</strong>s are organized under the company<str<strong>on</strong>g>Media</str<strong>on</strong>g>set in which Fininvest has a 48.6 per cent stake.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Berlusc<strong>on</strong>i family holds a 96 per cent stake <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Fininvest.Fininvest also c<strong>on</strong>trols the nati<strong>on</strong>al newspapers Il Giornale(226,000) and Il Foglio.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> other two large media groups in Italy are L’Espressoand RCS Editori. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso is <strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> theleading media groups with newspaper, magazine and broadcastingactivities. L’Espresso is a weekly business title. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> company’sdaily La Repubblica (567,000) is the sec<strong>on</strong>d most popularnewspaper in Italy. Both are reported to share a critical view <strong>on</strong>Berlusc<strong>on</strong>i’s media activities. Activities in fifteen regi<strong>on</strong>al and146 THE IMPACT OF MEDIA CONCENTRATION ON PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISM

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