WJEC Eduqas Media Studies for A Level Year 1 & AS sample

Introducing the Media Studies Framework Economic and Political Contexts • The importance and relevance of ownership and control, for example the influence of certain media organisations. This can relate to public service broadcasting, conglomerate ownership and political viewpoints. For example, the BBC is required to be impartial in its news broadcasts, whereas a newspaper can demonstrate its political allegiance, which will be influenced by the owner of the paper. • The importance of economic factors such as funding, circulation, sales or audience ratings figures. For example, the constraints upon the producer of a low budget, independent film compared to that of a high-budget Hollywood production. • The impact of regulation on media industries and their products. For example, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which is responsible for regulating the British film industry. • How the representations, attitudes and beliefs in the media product relate to the economic and political production context. Conglomerate A large organisation that has interests spanning across a number of different businesses or industries. For example, the Walt Disney Company is a media and entertainment conglomerate as it has business interests in several different industries, including film, television, music and radio as well as the theme park industry. Key Term How is the industry context reflected in the front pages of national newspapers? Quickfire 1.39 What are the advantages of a media conglomerate? Quickfire 1.38 45