Transformation of media structures and media content. A diachronic analysis of five Western European countries

This paper analyzes the transformation of media structures and possible effects on public communication from 1960 to 2008. To build a basis for the evaluation of trends and situations in the various models of media and politics (Hallin/Mancini 2004), this paper will systematically analyze and compare the cases of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland (democratic-corporatist), Great Britain (liberal) and France (polarized-pluralist), by classifying media suppliers and media supply with an etic approach. By this, we can show the large (but not necessarily linear) transformation of media structures: differentiation of the press from its former political and social ties, more press concentration and generally more tabloidization. Against the background of increasingly commercialized media systems, this paper looks at possible effects on media content and presents indicators and first results of a content