Transformation of Post-Communist Broadcast Media: A Case Study of Estonia (original) (raw)

Running Head: Transformation of Post-Communist Broadcast Media

1999

The world in the late twentieth century experienced a third wave of democratization. Most notable was the collapse of the Soviet Union and the demise of communism in Eastern Europe. Among the challenges confronting these countries was the transformation of their state broadcast structures into independent democratic broadcast systems. This study utilized a case study and historical approach to examine the restructuring of a broadcast media system in a postcommunist country, Estonia. The implications that can be drawn from this study is that post-Communist broadcast system transformations are complex, especially considering the formidable challenges confronting a country as it revamps both its political and economic system. RUNNING HEAD: TRANSFORMATION OF POST-COMMUNIST BROADCAST MEDIA

THE WINDING ROAD ON THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ESTONIAN (TELEVISION) BROADCASTING BETWEEN 1992 AND 2016

This article explores how Estonian broadcasting (with a focus on television) tackled the challenges of transforming from a monopolistic party propaganda machine into a modern dual media system in which public service broadcasting and newly created private enterprises coexist, and how this process evolved in a small, post-Communist country. This article argues that the Estonian government's 'idealisation' of market forces supported by the European Union media policy, which is driven by common market ideology, did not account for the market's limitations and media companies' actual capabilities to provide a large range of media services. The research methodology is based on an analysis of Estonian media legislation and the broadcasters' annual reports from the period 1992–2016. The article analyses the key connections between the financial conditions of the broadcasting industry and the adaptations made in broadcasting legislation in Estonia during the last 25 years.

From State to Public Service: The Failed Reform of State Television in Central Eastern Europe

This comparative study questions whether the transformation of state television into public service television was successful in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. It analyzes the context in which public service televisions operate, as well as their professional identity and mission in the dual broadcasting markets. The study also evaluates the editorial independence of public service television in the region, and puts forward policy proposals to improve its performance.

On the Transformation of the Media System in the Business Environment on the Example of TV Journalism in Uzbekistan

Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, 2020

Aim of the Study: The business models of foreign TV channels that actively entered the Russian market at first meant only generating revenue from subscription fees. This was the basis of the cable operators ' business. Mostly TV channels used the services of distribution companies. Only a few of them, such as Nickelodeon, BBC Prime, TV XXI, have long represented themselves. Cooperation with one of the Russian partners, which they eventually agreed to, doubled their business in Russia in less than a year. But the operators wanted more diverse and unique content, on the basis of which they could form package offers. After all, the vast majority of broadcasters sought to get only in the basic packages. This limited the ability to segment the operator's offer. In addition, there are several difficult moments in relations with foreign TV companies. First, payments had to be made in foreign currency, while Russian partners would prefer to stay in the ruble zone due to the inconven...

PSM – home alone in a narrowcasting era? A case study: the Estonian public broadcasting

This article aims at exploring the ways in which the Estonian Public Broadcasting (EPB) tackles challenges of modern public service media (PSM) companies, how different external and internal factors (especially politics, economics, and technology) encourage or hinder the (online) evolution of Estonian Public Broadcasting. Starting with McQuail’s (2010) theoretical framework of media institutions’ influencers, the article investigates how the media policy, economic conditions and technology changes have influenced these processes (Doyle, 2013; Picard, 2011). Also, broadcasters themselves have taken different approaches towards their role in the new media environment (Doyle, 2010; Ranaivoson et al., 2013). Traditional PSM remit should be kept up to date with the demands of information society (Lowe et al., 2014; Bardoel and d’Haenens, 2008). This is a fundamental challenge to the funding and governance of PSM. Market pressure to reduce the PSM funding makes the expansion into online media difficult. However, audiences, especially younger ones, abandon traditional broadcasting channels and are attracted to the online world. This article analyzes different aspects of the the adjustment of Estonian Public Broadcasting with media changes and trends and the outcome of this process. The aim of the research is to give an answer to the question: How do different external and internal factors (especially politics, economics, and technology) encourage or hinder the development of the Estonian Public Broadcasting?