ABSTRACT
Through an acknowledgment that decisions are made within the parameters of a media routine and that items such as budgets and the allocation of resources are a function of the routine, the ownership that sets these major policies could emerge as the pivotal constituency group in the determination of the content decision-making process. If after setting budgets, establishing the mass media routine, and perhaps conducting any larger philosophical standards of practice, that is the extent of ownership influence, albeit still very substantial, the day-to-day decision makers become powerful regarding specific content decisions. Often after allocating resources and setting the overall organizing philosophy, the media routine does not dictate all content decisions and there are still many to be made within the parameters of the routine. An argument can be made that routines constrain, but they also enable in that the remaining time and space available for selection and framing of content is open to a multitude of story options and perspectives.
