Intercultural Communication

1. Intercultural Communication

Lecture 8
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2. PE: Change in media ownership in the US - 2011

3. Media Giants Today

4. 7 Media Giants control…

• What we read
• What we watch
• What we listen to
• What we speak about and how we do it?

5. The most powerful tycoon in the world?

6. Rupert Murdoch – Media Tycoon

• Born: Australia 1931
• Became naturalized US citizen in 1985
– enabling him to buy US companies.
• Founder and CEO of holding company:
News Corporation
• In the UK, the company owns The Sun,
The Times, The Sunday Times, The
News of the World (closed down in
2011) and many local papers
• In the US, the Wall St Journal, the New
York Post, Fox Broadcasting (film and
TV).

7.

• Murdoch’s News Corporation is active in all
continents of the world in all areas of
commercial media, and some of its various
companies are managed by Murdoch family
members.
• Ownership of Hollywood studio 20th Century
Fox as used for the netwoprk Fox TV (22 TV
(Simpsons, and Fox News).
• Subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands, the
Bahamas, the Virgin Islands and the Channel
Islands (all tax havens).

8.

9.

• Bought the British newspaper The Sun in 1969, turning
it into a tabloid
• In the 1980s moved the newspaper offices out of
London - used new print technology, making thousands
of print-workers unemployed. Bought a share in TNT, a
road transport company, and shifted delivery of
papers from rail to road.
• In the 1990s, Murdoch (who owned approx. 132
newspapers in the UK, about 30% of the market),
began a price war. He cut the price of his Times
newspaper but also increased sales and seriously
damaged sales of other broadsheet newspapers (e.g.
The Independent).

10.

11.

• Murdoch’s 3rd wife Wendy Deng (38 years younger) is Chinese and
was vice president of STAR TV when they married (17 days after his
second divorce). In June 2013, the couple announced their divorce.
• Murdoch is part owner of pay-TV BSkyB (the only successful UK
satellite company). BSkyB has changed the broadcasting of sports,
through the introduction of pay-per-view TV, and negotiated
exclusive TV deals with many sports. In 1998 he tried but failed to
buy Manchester United.
• Fox News is a major competitor for CNN and is openly supportive of
right wing and conservative parties around the world.
• Murdoch and his family and friends (James Murdoch, Rebekah
Brooks) are known for doing deals and socializing with any politician
or party that appears powerful.

12. The Sun (acquired 1969) turned tabloid

13.

14. NEWS CORP

• Film (Twentieth Century Fox, Blue Sky Studios, FOX );
• Internet (TheStreet.com, Healtheon/WebMD Corp. (partial ownership))
• Cable TV-Networks - U.S. FOX Broadcasting Company, FOX News Channel
FOX Kids Network, FOX Sports (partial in some markets; The Health
Network fX, National Geographic's cable channel (50%), Golf Channel, TV
Guide Channel (44%); Stations - 22 Fox affiliated stations; Networks –
International; British Sky Broadcasting; STAR TV (Asia); Radio - Fox Sports
Radio Network);
• Publishing
(Books:
Harper
Collins
General,
Book
Group,
Regan Books, Amistad Press, William Morrow & Co., Avon Books);
Magazines (Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, Maximum Golf);
Newspapers (New York Post (U.S.), The Times (U.K.), The Sun (U.K.), News
of the World (U.K.), The Australian (Australia), The Daily Telegraph
(Australia), The Herald Sun (Australia), The Advertiser (Australia))
• Sports (Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Knicks (partial ownership), New
York Rangers (partial ownership), Los Angeles Kings (partial ownership),
Los Angeles Lakers (partial ownership), Dodger Stadium, Staples Center
(partial ownership), Madison Square Garden (partial ownership))

15. Viacom-$50 billion merger between Viacom and CBS Corporation was completed in May 2000. CEO - Sumner Redstone

Viacom-$50 billion merger between Viacom and
CBS Corporation was completed in May 2000.
CEO - Sumner Redstone
• Radio (Networks/Stations: Infinity Broadcasting);
• Internet (MTV Group, CBS Internet Group, BET.com,
Contentville.com, etc.)
• Film (Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies;)
Theater Operations (United Cinemas International, Paramount
Theaters, Famous Players (Canada)); Video (Blockbuster Video)
• TV (CBS, UPN, MTV Network, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, TV
Land, CMT, TNN, VH1, FLIX, BET, etc.)
• Publishing (Books: The Free Press, MTV Books, Nickelodeon Books,
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books, Scribner, Touchstone)
• Other (Famous Music Publishing (copyright owners); Theme Parks
Paramount Parks; Infinity Outdoor/TDI Worldwide -- the largest
outdoor advertising group in the U.S.; Star Trek franchise)

16. The Walt Disney Company is the third largest global media conglomerate. Its FY 2000 revenues topped $25 billion

The Walt Disney Company is the third largest
global media conglomerate. Its FY 2000
revenues topped $25 billion
• Film (Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax, Pixar,
Hollywood Pictures, Caravan Pictures, Buena Vista Home
Entertainment);
• Internet (Buena Vista Internet Group: ABC.com, ABCNews.com,
Oscar.com, Disney.com, Family.Com, ESPN Internet Group,NBA.com,
NASCAR.com, Soccernet.com (60%), Infoseek (43%), Toysmart.com
(majority stake));
• Music (Buena Vista Music Group, Hollywood Records,
Lyric Street Records, Mammoth Records, Walt Disney Records);
• Broadcasting (Networks - ABC, The Disney Channel, SoapNet, The
History Channel , Lifetime (partial ownership with Hearst), E! ,
Television 10 stations: Vista Television, Touchstone Television ,Walt
Disney Television, Animation ; Radio – 27 radio stations);
• Publishing (books, magazines, daily newspapers);
• Recreation (sports, theme parks, theater)

17. AOL Time Warner - in January 2001, the $165 billion mega-merger between AOL and Time Warner was the largest media merger in

AOL Time Warner - in January 2001, the $165
billion mega-merger between AOL and Time
Warner was the largest media merger in history
• Film (Warner Brothers Studios, Castle Rock Entertainment,
New Line Cinema, Fine Line Features);
• Internet (AOL CompuServe, Netscape, AOL MovieFone,
Digital City, MapQuest.com, Spinner.com, Google);
• Music (The Atlantic Group, Rhino Records, London-Sire
Records Inc.,Warner Bros. Records, Warner Music
International, Time Life Music, Qwest Records, etc.);
• TV (WB Television Network, HBO, Cinemax, Time Warner
Sports, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, Looney Tunes)
• Publishing (Books, magazines - Time Magazine
Life Magazine, Sports Illustrated, People, In Style, American
Express , MAD)
Recreation (Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, World
Championship, Wrestling)

18. Sony - Japan-based started in 1946. $58 billion in sales for 2001. 

Sony - Japan-based started in 1946. $58 billion
in sales for 2001.
• TV (Columbia TriStar Domestic Television
Columbia TriStar International Television
Sony Pictures Family Entertainment, cable TV
channels, etc);
• Film (Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia
Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, Screen Gems);
• Theater (partial ownerships - Loews Theatres,
Star Theatres , Cineplex Odeon, Plitt Theatres );
• Music (Columbia Records, Epic Records, Harmony
Records, Legacy Recordings, Loud Records, Sony
Music Soundtracks, Soho Square,Rubenstein);
• Non-media assets (Sony Electronics, Sony Life
Insurance, Metreon (a mall in San Francisco)).

19. Vivendi Universal - was created in December, 2000 out of a merger agreement between Vivendi, The Seagram Company Ltd., and

Canal+
• Film (Universal Studios, partial owner to - October
Films, United International Pictures, Cinema
International BV);
• Internet (Universal Studios New Media Group
VivendiNet, Vizzavi (European multi-access portal);
• Music (Universal Records, MCA Records, Polygram,
Decca Records);
• TV (Universal Television Group, Multimedia
Entertainment, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, Canal
+,etc. );
• Publishing (Books-Magazines: Havas Press);
• Telecoms (Cegetel (a leading private French wireless
operator),Vivendi Telecom International);

20. Bertelsmann - privately-owned German media conglomerate is a global publishing giant with interests in roughly 600 companies

Bertelsmann - privately-owned German media
conglomerate is a global publishing giant with
interests in roughly 600 companies and 53
countries.
• Internet (AOL Europe , Napster– partial own.,
Barnesandnoble.com , Lycos Europe);
• Radio (FM Radio Network (Germany), 17 stations in France,
Germany, Luxembourg, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden);
• TV (UFA Film & TV Production (Germany), Trebitsch Production
(Germany), Delux Productions (Luxembourg), Cinevideo (Canada)
Holland Media House (Netherlands), First Choice (U.K), etc.);
• Music (Arista Records,BMG, BMG Music Publishing, RCA Records,
etc.);
• Publishing (Books- Ballatine Publishing Group, Bantam Doubleday
Dell, Bertelsmann Publishing Group, etc. Magazines - Gruner & Jahr
Child, Family Circle (majority owner), Fitness, etc.);

21. News flow, news values and newsworthiness

Galtung and Ruge (1965, 1973)
Theories relating to the importance of news stories
relative to each other.
• Proximity (“close to home” geographically,
culturally)
• Drama
• Elite persons
• Direct consequences (threshold)

22.

23.

24. News values - For a newsroom editor, which news stories have the highest ‘value’? Why?

Hollywood star in shark attack
Dog bites man
Man bites dog
Polar regions are melting
Extreme weather in US
Report - many politicians are corrupt
Politician pays prostitute - exclusive
Man eats his first pizza

25. Text & Speech

Text & Speech

26. Perfect Public Speaker

• No one can be a perfect speaker always;
• When you make a mistake – keep going;
• Visualization is good – when You see it, You
can easily speak it;
• Practice is the way to perfection and good
impression;
• Leave the audience “asking for more”.

27. 4 Types of Speech Delivery

• Impromptu (Think for a second about what
you are going to say; Keep your points brief
and to the point; Take a few seconds between
thoughts to compose yourself)
• Extemporaneous (This speech involves the
speaker's use of notes and some
embellishment to deliver a speech).
• Manuscript (he speaker reads every word
from a pre-written speech).
• Memorized (rehearsed speech in advance).

28. How text can “speak”?

29. Text (and image) as complex set of signs

Media texts are complex and can be open to
many different interpretations.
open texts: which have many meanings (depending on time,
gender, race, politics, place, class, age and experience) POLYSEMIC
or
closed texts: which encourage a specif c meaning and permit
little space for the reader to generate different interpretations MONOSEMIC

30. Ambiguous (open) meanings: news headlines

“Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant”
“Stolen painting found by tree”
“Baby doctor cleared of misconduct”
“Man’s fury as passers-by refuse to help attack
victim”
• “Passengers hit by cancelled trains”
• “Miners refuse to work after death”