ABSTRACT
With the breakup of the Soviet Union followed by the creation of new countries in the former Yugoslavia and the move by other developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to permit the development of independent media, many governments and international nongovernment organizations launched extensive media training programs in the late 1980s and 1990s. Both government and nongovernment agencies have spent billions to provide training for journalists and media managers in what became known as transition countries. Many countries were transitioning from Communist or government control of the media to a free-market economy and the development of a free and independent media. Early on the need seemed to be for basic journalism training for new journalists and media management training for new managers. Many individuals were hired for journalist positions with very little or no academic preparation or experience. In some cases, new independent broadcast stations hired journalists away from state media but quickly found that those journalists brought old practices to new stations. Some new radio and TV stations hired people with a variety of backgrounds to become journalists. New radio and television stations were developed and in many cases people with no media background became owners and managers.
