Institution

AS Media Studies

**Key Term**

Institution

The organisation or company that produces and/or distributes media.

An institution is formed by the relations of production, distribution, consumption and regulation.

Understanding institution is about understanding…

Who produces media texts

What their set of codes and values are

What their relationship is to us as individuals

When analysing a media text...

What is the institution behind the text? In what ways has the text been

influenced or shaped by the institution that produced it?

Is the source a public service or commercial institution – what difference does this make to the text?

How has the text been distributed?

BBC

ITV

News International

Manuel Alvarado

In Learning the Media, he lists 7 features that shape media institutions:

FINANCE PRODUCTION PRACTICES TECHNOLOGY LEGISLATION CIRCULATION AUDIENCE CONSTRUCTION AUDIENCE USE

Large Conglomerate Corporations The mainstream institutions commission

and select material that fits their agenda. All institutions need to make money. Commercial institutions are supported by

advertising revenue. They pay for the production of the text. Have an interest in its content, style and

attitudes. They may also organise marketing.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Independent Institutions

Independent and free from the financial and organisational influence of the large scale corporations that dominate the market and industry.

They are often small scale, appeal to a niche audience.

Often distributed and consumed in different places to that of mainstream media.

‘Little White Lies’

Small, bi-monthly independent movie magazine

Stocked in selected WH Smith stores and some independent cinemasPublished and

distributed by The Church of London

Small, independent creative agency based in London.

Convergence of old and new media All terrestrial broadcasters and

newspaper owners have bought into the internet.

Murdoch’s News Corporation has bought MySpace.

Google started as a search engine – now owns YouTube, online advertising group DoubleClick and has expanded its advertising business into TV, print, radio and mobile.

Key questions...

What is the institutional source of the text? In what ways has the text been influenced

or shaped by the institution which produced it?

Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does it make to the text?

Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?

How has the text been distributed?