[Week 11: Nov 11] C1. Analysis of Cultural Industries

0. Ideologies in industry
0.1. Ideologies work in where?
0.2. Ideologies work in media production and organization
0.3. Ideologies do not simply exist in our mind, in our habit, in our human relationship, but also in institution.
0.4. Critique of "market determinism":
-Cultural products are not determined by consumer., they are produced by media!!

1. Frankfurt school: Critique of Culture industry

1.1. T. W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer

1.2. They were concerned with the intersections between technology, the culture industries, and the economic situation in contemporary societies.

1.3. Neo-Marxist questions:
1.3.1. Why did the working class accept the capitalist domination?
1.3.2. Why was the revolutionary consciousness of the working class in decline?

1.4. Culture industry
-Technologically advanced
-Commodification
-Standardization
-Massification

1.5. The ideological function of culture industry
-Eliminating individuality
-Reproduction of dominant ideology
-Integrating the working class into the capitalist way of life and values system

The Frankfurt School and British Cultural Studies (Douglas Kellner)
文化工業理論

2. Analyzing media production: Routine practices (Raymond Williams)

2.1. Not creation but factory-like production (Individuality is eliminated)

2.2. Pressure of time

2.3. Hardly have room and time for negotiation

2.4. Replication of mainstream language and ideas

2.5. Superficial meanings rather than deep understanding

2.6. A cultural form produced by media giant and technology

2.7. Methods: ethnographic research and interviewing media workers
Example: ＜在編輯方針下的新聞工作者＞

3. Political economy of media
A theoretical approach which emphasizes the importance of combining political and economic analysis in understanding media.

3.1. Two main aspects: ownership and regulation

3.2. Aspect I: Who owns the media?

3.3. Aspect II: The business environment for media is less a market environment than a series of complex regulation.

4. A case study: Hong Kong's broadcasting system

4.1. History
-Government's strict control of wireless broadcasting (1928-1959)
-1949: The first commercial cable radio
-1959: The first license of commercial (wireless) radio
-2005: Two commercial radio licenses
在競爭中發展的廣播事業

4.2. Governing structure
-Regulatory body: Hong Kong Broadcasting authority
-Policy body: Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau
-Final approval: Chief Executive and Executive Council

4.3. Regulation
-Restricting rather than facilitating the market
-Expensive license fee ($3 million each year)
-License is subject to renewal

5. Some politico-economic features of Hong Kong media

5.1. Capital intensive sector

5.2. State-led monopoly

5.3. Highly regulated media market

5.4. Corporatization of technological development
-Example I: Cable TV
-Example II: Wireless internet