Introduction
Globalization has led to many changes which have really affected the world’s financial system. The media fraternity has not been left out of the globalization effects that threaten a diverse economy. The media is currently adversely affected by increasing competition in the industry. Due to the constant changes in information technology, there is the need for the media fraternity to adapt to the current changes so as to survive in the market. Alongside this, globalization has also led to the commercialization of the media. Initially, the media existed as a representation of a particular public or rather a majority group with similar ideologies. Primarily, broadcasting stations were meant to serve a nationwide audience at the expense of the minority who were not represented. This however changed because of the need to focus also on minority groups who were neglected. Culturally, people wanted to be appreciated and represented in the media. Minority Media, therefore, were created although they were not fully embraced at the beginning. The objective of this paper is to discuss if the market provides a better context for the development of the media for minorities than public service broadcasting. In order to achieve this, the paper will address multiculturalism, minority media, German Public Service Broadcasting and channel 4 station in United Kingdom.
Multiculturalism
Currently, the media is continuously changing and diversifying leading to the introduction of new projects in the market. As a result of this, the media is promoting multiculturalism by representing minority groups that were previously ignored. Multiculturalism refers to good relationships among cultural communities which are governed by traditional norms (Parekh 2000, p.13). Multiculturalism is an ideal philosophy because it gives people the opportunity to really express themselves within a given society. Multiculturalism also represents peoples’ rights regardless of their distinct culture. For other people, multiculturalism is a policy that promotes isolation but not integration. To other people, multiculturalism is a scapegoat for an astonishing collection of political and social malevolence (Philips 2007, p.3). An example is in the Middle East where the amalgamation of ethnocultural minorities has led to world terrorism. In some countries like the United States, multiculturalism is viewed as a political and societal movement that aims to embrace diversity among groups (Fazal & Tsagarousianou, 2002 p. 24). According to Philips, multiculturalism should be one without culture and provide for stereotypes which many feminists have rejected. Philips emphasizes that multiculturalism can be made compatible by supporting gender equality and women’s rights. She says that this can be achieved if there is an indulgence with an essentialist comprehension of culture (Philips 2007, p.9). Virtually, there is a need to adopt a liberal hypothesis of a multicultural society as people live in a tolerant society. In western societies, there is an existence of multiculturalism which includes liberal cultures and non-liberal cultures (Parekh 2000, p.13). Apart from conveying information through TV and radio, the media narrows down to more diverse mediums like pamphlets and exhibitions. Multicultural media can be viewed as one of the many forms of media which unite different cultures together. Multiculturalism had led to the emergence of challenging and creative activities among different ethnic groups. Initially, it was quite challenging to develop multicultural media as it was aimed at reaching societies in remote areas. As time passed by, people gained insight into this media considering its cultural importance to societies. Gradually, multicultural media acquired inspiring factors which promoted its development. In order to be successful, there was a need to appease media advertisers who play a major role in the fraternity. In Germany, there is a multicultural magazine called Babylon that is designed to attract foreigners who live in the county. Basically, the magazine focuses on issues that affect both foreigners and German citizens. Practically, this shows that the media acknowledges the aspects of multiculturalism in Germany (Bennett 1998, p.131).
Public Service Broadcasting
Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) was created with the aim of reaching a majority group which may be a nation or group with one culture. Public Service Broadcasting is normally financed and controlled by the public. This type of broadcasting can either be commercialized or non-commercialized depending on a particular country. In Germany, the public broadcasting is formed by state regulations or agreement which states the terms of broadcasting (Bondebjerg and Golding 329). Nationally, Germany has two television channels which are ARD and ZDF which have the duty to distribute national productions. Compared to ARD, ZDF is the most-watched TV station in Germany. There are rules within the legal framework that are geared towards controlling public broadcasting (Dallmayr 1966, p.107). German laws allow the media to have freedom of speech which does not restrict reporters. Journalists, therefore, are free to report on whatever they want. Normally, public broadcasting is headed by a director who takes control over general programming. The Public broadcasting market is substantially characterized by oligarchic because of a balanced economy. Public broadcasting is fundamentally financed by license fees which are paid by the public. This policy applies only to everyone who has a TV set, radio or mobile phone. As a preventive measure, radio and TV in Germany are run in a decentralized way so as to avoid mistreatment by the government.
In the United Kingdom, public broadcasting is meant for the interest of the public but not for commercial purposes. As a PSB, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a major station in the UK. Other stations include channel 4 and S4C which were established after BBC station. Channel 4 was established in 1982 as a self-funded media station with an obligation of remitting services to the public. The objective of the establishment was to provide fourth television service to the public of the UK (Philips, 2007, p.104). The channel began its services as a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA). Later there was a reform in the commercial industry which led to the abolition of IBA. After its luncheon, the channel started providing alternatives to other channels. Channel 4 has the responsibility of providing high-quality and varied programs to the public. Universally, the channel gets coverage not only within the country but also to other neighboring countries. Some of the countries that get channel 4 coverage include Ireland and other European countries. One advantage of channel 4 is that users of the internet can access it online. It is also famous in the film industry as it gives funds to film productions in the UK (Philips 2007, p.112).
Minority
Over the past years, minority groups were sidelined and were exempted from the media fraternity. According to Husband, minority groups were treated with contempt as they were not given the opportunity to express themselves (Husband 1994, p. 108). These groups include religious minorities, racial minorities and sexual minorities who lacked representation in the media. Representations not only refer to what minorities go through but also what other people think about them. More often, people feel discriminated against because of their ethnic backgrounds. Because of such reasons, it became essential for the minority to have a media representation. Muslim is an example of a religious minority whose doctrines are completely different from Christianity. Muslims should be reorganized and appreciated in the media just like in the case of Christianity. Today, Muslims are given the chance to express their views through the media by having their own stations. An example is Al Jazeera which addresses the Muslim and Arab communities (Benhabib 1966, p.88). Christianity is often challenged by other religions like Muslim, Hinduism and Judaism which are among the minority groups. For this reason, there is a need to know the religious stand of Christianity towards the other counterparts (Parekh 2000, p.25). The media is therefore a platform where such religions can air out their ideologies.
Minority groups always seek recognition from other groups through the media. Some groups may consider themselves superior or more special than other groups. Contemporary Christians normally have mixed reactions towards other religions and may include acceptance or denial (Parekh 2000, p.32). Through the media, the minorities are able to write about different issues which may not be related to mainstream media. Whatever they write might not be connected to the majority because of language barriers. Media for the minorities normally focus on the underlying problems that affect people. In Britain, there is a group of journalists who were expelled from their motherland countries. The group was formed with the aim of rebuilding hope among expelled journalists. This was a move that was also aimed at promoting journalistic multiculturalism. People of the Diaspora have constantly faced difficult times as they seek to mend their identities. In the UK the Diasporas are mostly distributed across three major groups. The groups consist of Indians, Afro-Caribbean and Pakistanis alongside others who include the Jews and black Americans. Media for the Diasporas is used to communicate within the minority groups as it can either be worldwide, local or nationwide. Minority media for the Diasporas have always lacked official recognition. The United Kingdom has a broadly diversified minority media which indicates popularity among ethnic groups. Minority media face different challenges that are characterized by a lack of recognition (Parekh 2000, p.58).
Officially, the minorities lack recognition apart from those who are in mixed marriages or those who have no citizenship. Mainstream media is not left out when it comes to neglecting the minorities (Tsagarousianou 2007, p.133). Thus the mainstream media often fails to address issues affecting ethnic groups. An example is BBC public service media which for many years ignored Asian communities. There is a need for the mainstream to recognize the ethnic media and provide the necessary support to them. Minority media can either be owned by a family, group or particular company. Digitalization has made it possible for minority media to survive in the media market. Because of this factor, ethnic media is accessible to internet coverage where they can present their broadcasting to a diverse audience. Digitalization has led to widespread minority radio stations where the usage is rampant among the Middle Eastern, Black Caribbean and Black Americans. Several radio stations have been launched in most places where ethnic groups live. Increasingly, many people own TV sets among the minorities as there are 38 channels that have been introduced in recent years. The UK has the largest film market with many Asian consumers. The cinema market is however not popular among the white mainstream audiences. Digitalization allows minority media to use the internet at a low cost and also without much restriction. New inventions have positively influenced the minority media leading to more developments and productivity. Technologies such as the satellite have created new openings for diverse ethnic groups. According to Husband, expansion in the minority media is almost reaching the mainstream standards. More people are getting interested in the minority media as they want to be associated with their cultures. In the UK, there is an increasing demand for ethnic media which might outweigh the mainstream in the near future. The market is also providing more avenues like the new technologies that are tremendously expanding the ethnic stations. People like to be associated with originality making them yearn for a broadcasting station that represents them. Despite this development, the minority media stations are still not given much thought by mainstream media (Dallmayr 1966, p. 65). Politics have also played a big part in sidelining ethnic media stations. Politicians usually use the mainstream media more frequently compared to the minority media. Public service broadcasting is normally given an upper hand when it comes to politics. Public broadcasting stations in UK such as BBC have had more opportunities for diverse coverage. BBC not only has its fame in the UK but also penetrates through many world countries. Public service broadcasting has become an international station offering varied new coverage. This indicates that the minority stations are still challenged by the mainstream station although this can change in the near future. However, there is a need for BBC to incorporate minorities into its broadcasting. For this to be achieved, the PSB can be re-launched so as to include both minority and majority broadcasting. Minority Media is steadily gaining popularity among a diverse audience from varied ethnic backgrounds.
Probably it may be needless for the minority stations to get support from mainstream media as they will be capable of rising on their own.
Conclusion
Multiculturalism should be embraced for the purpose of cohesion among different cultural societies. Multiculturalism is supposed to have policies that create room for dialogue among people from varied ethnic backgrounds (Tsagarousianou 2007, p.143). There is a need for supporting minority groups whose existence is not recognized by the majority groups. The media market is globally changing as a result of advanced technologies that are cropping up. The media market entails the majority and minority groups which offer broadcasting coverage to a wide audience. For a very long time the minority media have been unrecognized although currently, the market is offering more opportunities for its expansion. Technologies such as digitalization and the introduction of the satellite are avenues for more developments among the minorities. New trends in the political arena have made upcoming politicians recognize the cultural dimension that exists in the minority media (Husband 1994, p.81). Because of this reason, politicians are increasingly becoming popular with the minority media. There is a need for the government to impose regulations that will favor both the majority and minority. The government can come up with new laws which will ensure that the minority are not discriminated against. The minority media stations are likely to grow as more ethnic stations will be created. Ultimately, the market will also grow as new technologies are emerging.
Reference
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