Prior to 2000, it was a criminal offence to sell hardcore pornography in Britain. Despite this, there was a thriving alternative economy producing and distributing such material "under the counter" of Soho's bookshops and via mail-order. British entrepreneurs circumvented obscenity laws to satisfy the demand for uncensored adult films and profit from their enterprise, with the corrupt Obscene Publications Squad permitting them to trade. By the late 1960s, Britain had developed an international reputation for producing 'rollers', short films distributed on 8mm, which were smuggled out of Britain for sale in Western Europe. Following an expose by Britain's tabloid press, a crackdown on police corruption and several high-profile obscenity trials, the trade was all but decimated, with pornography smuggled in from Europe dominating the market. Under the Counter is the first book of its kind to investigate Britain's trade in illicit pornographic 8mm film. Drawing on extensive archival research, including the use of legal records, police files, media reportage, and interviews with those who were involved in the business, Under the Counter tells the story of Britain's trade in 8mm hardcore pornographic films and its regulation, incorporating ideas from cultural studies, political economy, history and criminology. Under the Counter is a scholarly monograph that will be of interest to researchers across a wide range of disciplines and will be of use to students at undergraduate, Masters level and PhD. The book will be of particular relevance to students and researchers interested in the study of pornography, sexual cultures, illicit media enterprise and entrepreneurship, but also those with an interest in film production and distribution, particularly within a British context. The theoretical frameworks that underpin the book mean that researchers with an interest in the creative industries will be able to make use of it and the book makes a contribution to media and cultural history. It is suitable for use on university courses relating to these specific areas, specifically media and communication, film studies, creative industries, and potentially on criminology or socio-legal studies, given the books attention to obscenity law and regulation of illicit practices.

"Johnson astutely reveals that franchises are not Borg-like assimilation machines, but, rather, complicated ecosystems within which creative workers strive to create compelling 'shared worlds.' This finely researched, breakthrough book is a must-read for anyone seeking a sophisticated understanding of the contemporary media industry." --Heather Hendershot, author ofWhat's Fair on the Air?: Cold War Right-Wing Broadcasting and the Public Interest While immediately recognizable throughout the U.S. and many other countries, media mainstays like X-Men, Star Trek, and Transformers achieved such familiarity through constant reincarnation. In each case, the initial success of a single product led to a long-term embrace of media franchising--a dynamic process in which media workers from different industrial positions shared in and reproduced familiar cultureacross television, film, comics, games, and merchandising. InMedia Franchising, Derek Johnson examines the corporate culture behind these production practices, as well as the collaborative and creative efforts involved in conceiving, sustaining, and sharing intellectual properties in media work worlds. Challengingconnotations of homogeneity, Johnson shows how the cultural and industrial logic of franchising has encouraged media industries to reimagine creativity as an opportunity for exchange among producers, licensees, and evenconsumers. Drawing on case studies and interviews with media producers, he reveals the meaningful identities, cultural hierarchies, and struggles for distinction that accompany collaboration within these production networks.Media Franchisingprovides a nuanced portrait of the collaborative cultural production embedded in both the media industries and our own daily lives.

This book examines the interrelationship between telecommunications and tourism in shaping the nature of space, place and the urban at the end of the twentieth century. They discuss how these agents are instrumental in the production of homogenous world-spaces, and how these, in turn, presuppose new kinds of political and cultural identity. This work will be of essential interest to scholars and students in the fields of sociology, geography, cultural studies and media studies.

Phone calls and emails from customers are not just events; they are significant milestones in customer relationships. This book presents a roadmap to significantly improving customer relationships, whether by phone, mail, fax, email, or Website, by getting the most out of call centre technology. The book bridges the business, technical and financial issues in building and managing a customer contact centre. It evaluates call centre technology and its practical implementation to foster enhanced customer satisfaction, while delivering results at a reasonable cost. The author explains how to transform a call centre into an effective cross media contact point staffed by people equipped with the appropriate tools, knowledge and skills to provide responsive answers to emails, faxes and calls requesting service and information. Further, the author explores how to make the call centre an engine of business growth by minimizing costs, enhancing customer satisfaction, and using technology to upsell and generate new revenues from existing customers.

The European economic crisis has been ongoing since 2008 and while austerity has spread over the continent is has failed to revive economies. The media have played an important ideological role in presenting the policies of economic and political elites in a favourable light, even if the latter's aim has been to shift the burden of adjustment onto citizens. This book explains why, using a critical political economic perspective and focusing on the case of Ireland to draw conclusions often applicable to Europe and the United States. Throughout, Ireland is compared with contemporary and historical examples to contextualise the arguments made. This book covers the housing bubble that led to the crash, the rescue of financial institutions by the state, the role of the European Union and International Monetary Fund, austerity, and the possibility of leaving the eurozone for Europe's peripheral countries. Through a systematic analysis of Ireland's main newspapers, it is argued that the media reflect the views and interests of those in power and downplay alternative policies that could lead to more progressive responses to the crisis.

- A concise and engaging textbook for students offering an original perspective on a concept that is a site of much industry and scholarly debate. - Combining work on both political media and entertainment, with an emphasis on social media, this is ideal for a range of undergraduate courses, particularly those exploring media audiences, media industries, social media and society and political engagement. - Each chapter includes a brief introduction, a conclusion with key points, sub headings, and a broad range of international case studies that show how the points of the chapter can work in practice for media engagement analysis.

In recent years, the study of creativity has shifted from analysis of culture as an end in itself to one of economic enhancement, and its capability to generate wealth and promote economic development. Increasingly, European cities and regions are using the arts to fuel wellbeing and reinvigorate economies after the comparative demise of more traditional industry and manufacturing. A growing literature is starting to highlight the innovation capacity of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) as they intersect the innovation processes of other manufacturing and services sectors with an innovative and creative output. Culture and creativity may be a strategic weapon to exit the present crisis and redefine an economic model of sustainable development. This book brings together a set of multidisciplinary contributions to investigate the kaleidoscope of European creativity, focussing on CCIs and the innovations connected with them. The two main questions that this volume aims to address are: How can we identify, map and define CCIs in Europe? And how do they contribute to innovation and sustainable growth? The volume is split into two parts. The first part deals with the definition, measurement and mapping of the geography of European CCIs according to a local economic approach, focussing on Italy, Spain, the UK, Austria, Denmark and France. This section surveys the different industrial typologies and spatial patterns, which underline a significant dissimilarity between the North and the South of Europe, mainly due to the difference between heritage-driven and technology-driven countries. The section concludes with a case study on a Japanese creative city. The second part collects some interesting cases of innovation generated in creative spaces such as cities of art or creative clusters and networks. This entails the study of innovations among creative and non-creative sectors (e.g. laser technologies in conservation of works of art and design networks in Italy) and across European and non-European countries (e.g. Spaghetti Western movies in the US or visual artists in New Zealand). Finally, an innovation capacity of culture that can regenerate mature sectors (e.g. the French food supply chain and Swiss watch Valley) or combine the creative and green economics paradigms (e.g. the green creative cities in North Europe) is analyzed. This book will appeal to academics, scholars and practitioners of urban and regional studies, cultural and creative economics and managerial and organization studies.

The ferociously talented Hideo Kojima, creator of Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, shares his perspective on the stories and movies that influence his work! Ever since he was a child, Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima was a voracious consumer of movies, music, and books. They ignited his passion for stories and storytelling, and the results can be seen in his groundbreaking, iconic video games. Now the head of independent studio Kojima Productions, Kojima's enthusiasm for entertainment media has never waned. This collection of essays explores some of the inspirations behind one of the titans of the video game industry, and offers an exclusive insight into one of the brightest minds in pop culture. Ever since he was a child, Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima was a voracious consumer of movies, music, and books. They ignited his passion for stories and storytelling, and the results can be seen in his groundbreaking, iconic video games. Now the head of independent studio Kojima Productions, Kojima's enthusiasm for entertainment media has never waned. This collection of essays explores some of the inspirations behind one of the titans of the video game industry, and offers an exclusive insight into one of the brightest minds in pop culture.

"Digitalization significantly changes the media. To cope with this change and to exploit new market opportunities is a major challenge for media corporations. Bernd Wirtz provides a valuable guideline for this new world, combining theory, facts, and practice." Dr. Hubert Burda, German publisher and Managing Corporate Partner of Hubert Burda Media Holding KG "The media business is subject to substantial change while differences between distinctive media areas are fading away. This is due to technical innovation in areas like transmittance of content, bearer of content and recording devices but also due to new formats, trends and constant change of consumer behavior." The textbook "Media and Internet Management" stays abreast of changes and covers this topic on a well-founded and comprehensive basis. It makes a valuable contribution to theory and practice in media management and is highly recommendable to media managers." Christoph Mohn, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Bertelsmann AG "The world of media is full of challenges and dynamic conditions for its field. The dynamic of this market is accelerated even more by new digital technologies and ongoing globalization. This book is an absolute "must have" for everyone who wants to know more about the basics, conditions and requirements of modern media management. The analytical clearness and structure make this publication highly relevant for students, but also for managers." Urs Rohner, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Credit Suisse Group AG "Media Management is a textbook, but a very welcome newcomer for students and teachers as it fills a market gap for good educational material in this rapidly evolving field. It is concise, simple (but not simplistic), and contains a contemporary overview of concepts and tools for media managers. " Prof. Dr. Bozena I. Mierzejewska, Editor of The International Journal on Media Management, Fordham University, New York "Summed up, with his second edition Wirtz managed to strengthen the outstanding position of his publication "Media Management". His textbook shines because of its content, analytical clearness and the high relevance for business practice without losing its academic background. With the second edition this book has established its position in the field of media business as the leading standard reference book in Germany. It is suitable for business students, lectures as well as managers who can gain magnificent information from it." Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Fritz, Director of the Institute of Marketing, Braunschweig University of Technology, Germany; Honorary Professor at the Institute of Business Administration, University of Vienna, Austria.

Researching for the Media: Television, Radio and Journalism is an essential guide to researching for the media industry. It explains the role of the researcher and journalist within radio, television and journalism exploring key areas of what to expect in the job. Researching for the Media: Television, Radio and Journalism offers advice and instruction on practical, ethical and legal issues which affect anyone working in these industries. Beginning with suggestions on how to think up ideas and how to devise treatments, through to general research methods and techniques and guidance on working on location at home and abroad, it uses real examples of good and bad practice from the industry. Written by an experienced researcher, writer and producer, Researching for the Media includes: Tips on finding contributors from contestants, experts and specialists through to audiences and celebrities How to find photographs, picture and film clips and the ethical and legal issues involved Advice on finding and using music and copyright issues How the media uses the internet and social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram A discussion of risk assessment, codes of conduct, ethical behaviour and legal and safety issues A glossary of media terms, further reading and a list of helpful websites. Discover more at www.adeleemm.com

Recognized from Seinfeld and MTV, Dan Cortese now gives readers a personal and humorous look at the life and career of an American TV actor and host Fans of Veronica's Closet, MTV Sports, What I Like About You, 8 Simple Rules, and Castle will relish this exclusive account of Dan's life and career. Step Off! is a hilarious look inside the eccentric experiences of a Hollywood favorite. He discusses life from his own honest, outrageous Hollywood perspective. Cortese shares the lessons he's learned--and a few he hasn't--working on screen for over two decades as an American actor. He also reveals details about his most rewarding job: being a father. Step Off! is a side-splitting, heart-warming journey through Dan's life and career, showing the hilarious and memorable aspects of acting, fame, and striving to be a super dad. Follow the actor's path from working in a steel mill in Pittsburgh, to the rock-climbing "Mimbo" on Seinfeld, to his life as a father of three. You're sure to laugh with this noteworthy celebrity book from Dan Cortese.

Screenwriting: Creative Labor and Professional Practice analyzes the histories, practices, identities and subjects which form and shape the daily working lives of screenwriters. Author Bridget Conor considers the ways in which contemporary screenwriters navigate and make sense of the labor markets in which they are immersed. Chapters explore areas including: Screenwriting histories and myths of the profession Screenwriting as creative labor Screenwriters' working lives Screenwriting work and the how-to genre Screenwriting work and inequalities Drawing on historical and critical perspectives of mainstream screenwriting in the USA and UK, as well as valuable interviews with working screenwriters, this book presents a highly original and multi-faceted study of screenwriting as creative labor and professional practice. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorandfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780203080771

What is the link between Information Communication Technology (ICT) and women's empowerment in today's development context? How can ICT facilitate the pursuit of visions for a better world? Avoiding both 'techno-euphoric' and 'techno-pessimistic' hype this book offers answers. Based on analysis from twenty-one research teams in fourteen countries, Gender and ICTs in Africa and the Middle East explores a multitude of case studies - from the Sudanese radio sex education campaign to the 'Egyptian Facebook Revolution' - demonstrating what it takes to wield the emancipatory potential of ICT. A much needed, human-centred contribution to the fields of gender, development and Information Communication for Development.

The corporate and the social are crucial themes of our times. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, both individual lives and society were shaped by capitalist crisis and the rise of social media. But what marks the distinctively social character of "social media"? And how does it relate to the wider social and economic context of contemporary capitalism? The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is based on the idea that a socially responsible capitalism is possible; this suggests that capitalist media corporations can not only enable social interaction and cooperation but also be socially responsible. This book provides a critical and provocative perspective on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in media and communication industries. It examines both the academic discourse on CSR and actual corporate practices in the media sector, offering a double critique that reveals contradictions between corporate interests and social responsibilities. Marisol Sandoval's political economic analysis of Apple, AT&T, Google, HP, Microsoft, News Corp, The Walt Disney Company and Vivendi shows that media and communication in the twenty-first century are confronted with fundamental social responsibility challenges. From software patents and intellectual property rights to privacy on the Internet, from working conditions in electronics manufacturing to hidden flows of eWaste - this book encourages the reader to explore the multifaceted social (ir)responsibilities that shape commercial media landscapes today. It makes a compelling argument for thinking beyond the corporate in order to envision and bring about truly social media. It will interest students and scholars of media studies, cultural industry studies, sociology, information society studies, organization studies, political economy, business and management.

From Sit-Ins to #revolutions examines the evolution and growth of digital activism, while at once outlining how scholars theorize and conceptualize the field through new methodologies. As it closely examines the role that social and digital media play in enabling protests, this volume probes the interplay between historical and contemporary protests, emancipation and empowerment, and online and offline protest activities. Drawn from academic and activist communities, the contributors look beyond often-studied mass action events in the USA, UK, and Australia to also incorporate perspectives from overlooked regions such as Aboriginal Australia, Thailand, Mexico, India, Jamaica and Black America. From illustrating the allure of political action to a closer look at how digital activists use new technologies to push toward reform, From Sit-Ins to #revolutions promises to shed new light on key questions within activism, from campaign organization and leadership to messaging and direct action.

This book analyzes the challenges facing public service media management in the face of ongoing technological developments and changing audience behaviors. It connects models, strategies, concepts, and managerial theories with emerging approaches to public media practices through an examination of media services (e.g. blogs, social networks, search engines, content aggregators) and the online performance of traditional public media organizations. Contributors identify the most relevant and useful approaches, those likely to encourage creativity, interaction, and the development of innovative content and services, and discuss how such innovation can underpin the continuation or expansion of public service media in the changing mediascape.

This volume explores agenda-setting theory in light of changes in the media environment in the 21st century. In the decades since the original Chapel Hill study that launched agenda-setting research, the theory has attracted the interest of scholars worldwide. Agenda Setting in a 2.0 World features the work of a new generation of scholars. The research provided by these young scholars reflects two broad contemporary trends in agenda-setting: A centrifugal trend of research in the expanding media landscape and in domains beyond the original focus on public affairs, and a centripetal trend further explicating agenda-setting's core concepts.

This volume explores agenda-setting theory in light of changes in the media environment in the 21st century. In the decades since the original Chapel Hill study that launched agenda-setting research, the theory has attracted the interest of scholars worldwide. Agenda Setting in a 2.0 World features the work of a new generation of scholars. The research provided by these young scholars reflects two broad contemporary trends in agenda-setting: A centrifugal trend of research in the expanding media landscape and in domains beyond the original focus on public affairs, and a centripetal trend further explicating agenda-setting's core concepts.

By investigating the Southern Weekly Incident, in which censorship of the prominent Chinese newspaper Southern Weekly triggered mass online contention in Chinese society, Resistance in Digital China examines how Chinese people engage in resistance on digital networks whilst cautiously safeguarding their life under authoritarian rule. Chen's in-depth analysis of the Southern Weekly Incident ties together overlapping debates in internet studies, Chinese studies, social movement studies, political communication, and cultural studies to discuss issues of civic connectivity, emotions, embodiment, and the construction of a public sphere in digital China. Resistance in Digital China demonstrates a valuable methodology for conducting in-depth empirical examination of an act of resistance in order to explore political, cultural, and sociological meanings of Chinese people's resistance within party limits. Fruitfully combining 45 interviews with key players in the Southern Weekly Incident with largely Western-based communications theory, Chen develops an understanding of the ongoing formation of the Chinese public sphere as elite-led and emotional, at once invoked and rejected by Chinese citizens.

First published in 2006. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

A critical cultural materialist introduction to the study of global entertainment media. In Global Entertainment Media, Tanner Mirrlees undertakes an analysis of the ownership, production, distribution, marketing, exhibition and consumption of global films and television shows, with an eye to political economy and cultural studies. Among other topics, Mirrlees examines: Paradigms of global entertainment media such as cultural imperialism and cultural globalization. The business of entertainment media: the structure of capitalist culture/creative industries (financers, producers, distributors and exhibitors) and trends in the global political economy of entertainment media. The "governance" of global entertainment media: state and inter-state media and cultural policies and regulations that govern the production, distribution and exhibition of entertainment media and enable or impede its cross-border flow. The new international division of cultural labor (NICL): the cross-border production of entertainment by cultural workers in asymmetrically interdependent media capitals, and economic and cultural concerns surrounding runaway productions and co-productions. The economic motivations and textual design features of globally popular entertainment forms such as blockbuster event films, TV formats, glocalized lifestyle brands and synergistic media. The cross-cultural reception and effects of TV shows and films. The World Wide Web, digitization and convergence culture.

This volume examines how social media is evolving as an industry-it is an extension of traditional media industries, yet it is distinctly different in its nature and ability to build relationships among users. Examining social media in both descriptive and analytical ways, the chapters included herein present an overview of the social media industries, considering the history, development, and theoretical orientations used to understand social media. Covered are:

• Business models found among the social media industries and social media as a form of marketing.
• Social media as a form of entertainment content, both in terms of digital content, and as a tool in the production of news.
• Discussions of ethics and privacy as applied to the area of social media.
• An examination of audience uses of social media considering differences among Latinos, African-Americans, and people over the age of 35.

Overall, the volume provides a timely and innovative look at the business aspects of social media, and it has much to offer scholars, researchers, and students in media and communication, as well as media practitioners.

The rapid growth of network industries has generated much comment amongst academics and policy makers. This timely volume takes an interdisciplinary, case study-based approach to examining network issues and experiences in order to develop recommendations that can inform antitrust, regulatory and legislative policy. Legal, economic, political and institutional aspects of network access are analyzed. The first part of the volume focuses on five topics that are central to reasoned analysis of the access problem. The second part presents ten case studies of network access in the energy, transportation, telecommunications, internet and banking industries. The volume concludes with comparisons and contrasts across the cases and policy recommendations. Network Access, Regulation and Antitrust will prove invaluable to students of business, economics, law and economics and industrial economics, policy makers and academics working in the field.

At its heart this book is about innovation and the innovation process. On the way, it considers culture and the cultural industries, aesthetics, creativity and the creative industries, and a number of other similar topics.
Much of the existing economic literature on innovation has taken a particularly technological or functional viewpoint as to what sort of new products and processes are to be considered innovations. One of the key things this book shows is that there is a type of innovation, here labelled "soft innovation," primarily concerned with changes in products (and perhaps processes) of an aesthetic or intellectual nature, that has largely been ignored in the study of innovation prevalent in economics. Examples of innovations that, as a result of this refocusing, are here placed at the centre of the analysis include: the writing and publishing of a new book, the writing, production, and launching of a new movie, the development and launch of a new advertising promotion, the design and production of a new range of furniture, and architectural activity in the generation of new built form designs. The realisation of the existence of soft innovation means that, not only is innovation more widespread than previously considered, but that it may also take a different form than commonly considered.
Soft Innovation addresses key issues such as:
* The measurement of the rate and extent of soft innovation,
* The determinants of the rate and direction of soft innovation and diffusion,
* The impacts of soft innovation and diffusion upon outputs, productivity, employment, firm performance, trade, and economic welfare,
* Policy, considering whether there is a rationale for government intervention in the soft innovation generation and diffusion processes, and if so what instruments can be used in such intervention?
Soft Innovation breaks new ground in the study of innovation, and will be key reading for academics and researchers of Innovation, Marketing, and Design, as well as consultants, practitioners, and policy-makers concerned with the creative industries.

Disasters in today's globalized world are becoming not only more frequent but, often, more catastrophic. The media play a critical role in communicating and making sense of these cataclysmic events. This book offers unique insights into how news media today make disasters culturally meaningful and politically important, drawing on cutting-edge theoretical work and recent examples. It looks at how globalization is affecting the meanings of disaster but also considers the continued relevance of nations and their citizens as interpretive frameworks. It examines how journalists' witnessing of disasters is changing in response to new technologies, including social media, and how the ideal of objectivity might be challenged by new, more emotional and more compassionate forms of story-telling premised on an injunction to care. Ultimately, the book calls attention to the media possibilities for addressing disasters as global social, political, cultural and economic events in which we all have a stake.