ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the ways in which wider contexts have influence on media production and on the ways products have meaning with particular reference to the ways changing times offer changing meanings. It does this by firstly establishing the importance of history in media studies and then proceeding to explore these issues in two extended case studies. The first covers the ‘Historical Context of the News Industry’ and covers the emergence of journalism and the print press, the role of the news industry in political campaigns and ultimately the impact of new technology on the news industry. Ideas about the active audience and a brief history of news industry regulation are also provided. The other case study considers ‘A Century of Radio’ by offering a general historical overview and then focussing on ‘The Impact of Pirate Radio (1964–1967)’ and ‘Digital Technology and Radio’.
