ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews some pioneering books and journals that reflect the three approaches: media economics, political economy of communication, and production studies. It suggests a few reasons why an examination of media business history would shed light on current media business practices. First, the study of business is a very young discipline, even though human beings have traded for long time. The second reason why it is valuable for media studies students to read about the history of media business is that it is neglected in many media studies curricula. The third reason is that there is little systematic understanding of media business from a historical perspective, even though many books have been written about media titans, well-known companies, and tips to break into the industry. The last reason why studying the history of media business is important is because aspiring media workers can position themselves better in the industry if they understand the historical socio-economic background of media business.
