ABSTRACT
In the 1970s, the governments of many developing countries, including Malaysia, voiced their concerns and anxieties over the influence of transnationalmedia on the cultural identities of their countries. There was a widely held perception that the contents of cross-border media would erode and weaken local cultural identities. These concerns resulted in a study carried out by a UNESCO commission, headed by Sean MacBride, to look into the problems of the asymmetrical flow of media texts from “the core” (developed nations) to “the periphery” (developing nations), and also to provide possible solutions to redress the inequities in the distribution and control of global communication resources. This commission produced the New World Information Communication Order report. However, with increasing trends in globalisation and the rapid development of communication technology since then, foreign programmes have become even more freely available both on terrestrial and satellite television. The Malaysian government has responded by stipulating different policies on the limits of foreign television programming.
