ABSTRACT
Some would argue that except for occasional, spectacular media events-–State funerals, globally reported catastrophes, great sporting clashes, declarations of war, or the victorious end of it-–there is no longer one shared, symbolic, public space where television gathers together the nation, commands communal attention, and provides the agenda for the national conversation that sustains collective identity. The forces of globalization are sometimes blamed for loosening the bond between mass communication and national cultural identities that existed more clearly in the first, public service phase of television’s development.
