ABSTRACT
All media texts are the result of a complex set of determinants and it is important to have some knowledge and understanding of the political, social, historical and economic factors that help shape media texts. These may include changing ideas about the place and function of broadcasting in Britain in the twenty-first century and the changing economic climate within which it is produced, or the effects on developing countries of the increasing proliferation of western-style media technology, texts, personalities and codes and conventions. It is impossible to come to a deeper understanding of the implications and meanings of any given media text without taking into consideration the ways in which political, ideological, social and commercial institutions have shaped its production, distribution, consumption and interpretation.
