This study assesses the potential that telecommunications advances hold for rural America and is the outcome of the third in a series of policy research projects into issues relating telecommunications policy and economic development undertaken by research teams of faculty and students at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs and College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin. All three projects have been concerned with telecommunications at two levels: the effects of telecommunications advances on our economy and society and the policy framework that has resulted from divestiture of AT&T. The first project studied state telecommunication policy and resulted in the publication of "Telecommunications Policy and Economic Development: The New State Role" (Praeger, 1989); the second, which dealt with cities and large telecommunications users, produced "The New Urban Infrastructure: Cities and TelecommunicationS" (Praeger, 1990). Telecommunications and rural development has been much more frequently researched in Third World countries than in advanced industrialized ones and this volume represents a significant contribution to the literature on the subject.

The findings are divided into four general research areas. Following an introduction, Chapter Two looks at some fascinating telecommunications applications in American rural businesses from Wal-Mart, to traditional rural businesses like the lumber industry, to the opening of new businesses like telemarketing. Chapter Three assesses the use of telecommunication for delivery of public services from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to health care and distance education. Chapter Four asserts that many of the benefits of telecommunications for rural America will only be realized if the small independent or cooperative telephone companies remain healthy and progressive. The substantial contribution to community development, from community revitalization and regional cooperation to infrastructure upgrading, is the focus of Chapter Five. A final chapter offers conclusions. This is required reading for students, scholars, and practitioners in the fields of communications/telecommunications and government.

This unique study is the first to focus specifically on political communication ethics. Denton has brought together a group of works that address ethical concerns related to political communication, including political culture, campaigns, media, advertising, ghostwriting, discourse, politicians, and new technologies. All of the contributors raise a number of salient questions and discuss various methods, criteria, and issues for exploring and addressing ethical concerns. These ten chapters cover a range of topics that include the ethics of popular culture, political advocacy, ethics and morality in American presidential campaigns, virtue and character, the role of television in modern politics, the ethical implications of ghostwriting, polls and computer technology, and narrative form in political news. The central theme that emerges from these varied contributions is that we cannot depend on politicians, their handlers, or the media to correct real or perceived problems of ethics in American politics and that the greatest threat to democracy is neglect of the public forum. In analyzing the weak ethical links in the American political process, the authors call for a return to civic culture based on communication and persuasion, active citizen participation, and a high level of information. This work will be an important new resource for courses in political and mass communication, political ethics, and political science, as well as for students of sociology and American studies.

This book presents the result of the MART study, an action funded under the TIDE (Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly People) programme of the EU. TIDE supports research and development in assistive technology with the aim of contributing to the quality of life of older people and people with disabilities and encouraging European industry and markets. The book provides the first complete assessment of the opportunities presented by the Information Society for Older People and people with disabilities in Europe, and of the factors in European telecommunications and in social developments that are facilitating or inhibiting access to these. It is being published at a time when these issues are becoming increasingly considered in EU and national policy, in the strategies of the telecommunications industry and in the concerns of representative user organisations. As the MART study finished in early 1996 and the European situation is changing rapidly, a chapter has been added by the authors to take account of more recent developments.

This groundbreaking work explores media scholar Sut Jhally's thesis that advertising functions as a religion in late capitalism and relates this to critical theological studies. Sheffield argues that advertising is not itself a religion, but that it contains religious dimensions - analogous to Durkheim's description of objects as totems.

This volume brings together academics, executives and practitioners to provide readers with an extensive and authoritative overview of the classical music industry. The central practices, theories and debates that empower and regulate the industry are explored through the lens of classical music-making, business, and associated spheres such as politics, education, media and copyright. The Classical Music Industry maps the industry's key networks, principles and practices across such sectors as recording, live, management and marketing: essentially, how the cultural and economic practice of classical music is kept mobile and alive. The book examining pathways to professionalism, traditional and new forms of engagement, and the consequences of related issues-ethics, prestige, gender and class-for anyone aspiring to 'make it' in the industry today. This book examines a diverse and fast-changing sector that animates deep feelings. The Classical Music Industry acknowledges debates that have long encircled the sector but today have a fresh face, as the industry adjusts to the new economics of funding, policy-making and retail The first volume of its kind, The Classical Music Industry is a significant point of reference and piece of critical scholarship, written for the benefit of practitioners, music-lovers, students and scholars alike offering a balanced and rigorous account of the manifold ways in which the industry operates.

This popular text takes a hard look at the effect of U.S. communications worldwide and points to the trends and new factors that will be crucial to effective U.S. policy in future international interaction. From popular culture to the news media to public diplomacy, this book examines the growing problems the U.S. must face at the international level. The book addresses the much less-noted public communication content and the trends in the international environment that affect the impact and consequences of the communication substance that passes international boundaries. It articulates as issues agenda for people in both public and private institutions concerned with policies and programs in public diplomacy, news and information flow, educational exchange, or the role of images and perceptions in world affairs.

As mass communication is a major topic of interest in American colleges, there is also a growing interest in comparative mass media in other countries. This book is designed to put current practices in the United States in comparative perspective and thus shed new light on American media practices. It is designed as a resource for the growing number of courses dealing with international media, and a recommended supplement for basic mass communications courses that provide a global perspective.

Native Advertising examines the emerging practices and norms around native advertising in US and European news organizations. Over the past five years native advertising has rapidly become a significant revenue stream for both digital news "upstarts" and legacy newspapers and magazines. This book helps scholars and students of journalism and advertising to understand the news industry's investment in native advertising, and consider the effects this investment might have on how news is produced, consumed, and understood. It is argued that although they have deep roots in earlier forms of advertising, native ads with a political or advocacy bent have the potential to shift the relationship between news outlets and audiences in new ways, particularly in an era when trust in the media has reached a historic low point. Beyond this, such advertisements have the potential to shift how media systems function in relation to state power, by changing the relationship between commercial and non-commercial speech. Drawing on real-world examples of native ads and including an in-depth case study contributed by Ava Sirrah, Native Advertising provides an important assessment of the potential consequences of native advertising becoming an even more prominent fixture in the 21st-century news feed.

Selecting journals that speak for a very large number of topics addressed by the conservative press, this volume profiles selected conservative journals published since 1787. The conservative press has scarcely spoken with a single voice, whether the topics treated or even the time inhabited are the same or different. Yet, these journals testify to the persistent vigor and importance of conservatism. Together they provide a focused survey of the history of American conservative thought from the late 18th Century to the late 19th Century. Along with the companion volume covering the 20th Century conservative press, the book provides an important resource on conservative thought in America.

Despite the disparities in conservative intellectual thought, the journals covered, even the more idiosyncratic and extreme, are connected by their core values of conservatism. The book is organized into sections reflecting these connections. The first section covers journals associated with Federal, Whig, or, in the Civil War era, Northern Democratic political interests. A later section includes journals sharing an attachment to Southern conservative values during the antebellum and Reconstruction periods. Two sections deal, respectively, with 19th Century Orthodox Protestant periodicals and 19th Century Catholic and Episcopal journals, and yet another section discusses journals united by a major focus on literary topics and cultural connections.

This book approaches the subject with a clear grasp of the underlying concepts, and appreciation for the politics and choices that shape them, and a nonpartisan perspective the permits an objective overview. Because of a lack of understanding, participants in the telecommunications/computer industry often take stands counter to their own interests. Further-more, allies in one area may be competitors in another. The volume presents an accurate account of the hard questions faced by these companies, their regulators, an their customers. The author focuses on issues that remain constant regardless of their shape at a given time. Also illustrated are some concepts, such as local service, that are sheer invention, reflecting politicalaand economic choices.

This book approaches the Scottish women's suffrage campaign from the point of view of the popular press. It investigates how the press engaged with the women's suffrage movement; how suffragettes were portrayed in newspapers; and how different groups attempted to use the press to get their message into the public sphere. Scottish suffrage campaigners acknowledged the need for press coverage from the start of the campaign in the 1870s, but the arrival of the militant suffragettes completely transformed newspaper coverage. The Scottish newspapers were particularly interested in suffragette activities during local by-elections and their hounding of local anti-suffrage MPs such as Herbert Asquith. The book also investigates the impact of the First World War on the movement.

Reading Contemporary Serial Television Universes provides a new framework-the metaphor of the narrative ecosystem-for the analysis of serial television narratives. Contributors use this metaphor to address the ever-expanding and evolving structure of narratives far beyond their usual spatial and temporal borders, in general and in reference to specific series. Other scholarly approaches consider each narrative as composed of modular elements, which combine to create a bigger picture. The narrative ecosystem approach, on the other hand, argues that each portion of the narrative world contains all of the main elements that characterize the world as a whole, such as narrative tensions, production structures, creative dynamics and functions. The volume details the implications of the narrative ecosystem for narrative theory and the study of seriality, audiences and fandoms, production, and the analysis of the products themselves.

The companies that provide the Internet to the rest of the world do not have the luxury of setting high expectations and assuming they will be met. These Internet infrastructure companies (IICs) are responsible for delivering the Internet's promise, including everything from eBusiness and mobile Internet applications to optical services and high-speed access. The Internet's audience takes this promise for granted, and IICs face the daunting challenge of making the Internet, and networks like it, do what the audience expects them to. To meet the expectations they face, IICs must harness the power of their operations support systems (OSSs) - the software systems in the background they use to create, manage, maintain, manipulate and adapt their networks to serve customers reliably and rapidly.
Broadband Infrastructure: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding and Delivering OSS/BSS is a "how to" book for Internet infrastructure companies to help them prepare for the decisions they will face when constructing their core OSS strategies and infrastructure. This book provides a source of reference and education to learn the language, methods, and technologies associated with the OSS market. It examines the Internet infrastructure supply chain and how it will be automated. Finally, it brings together a wealth of proven knowledge and advice, gathered from BusinessEdge Solutions' extensive OSS experience, that broadband providers can use to minimize their OSS risks while maximizing their ability to differentiate and compete.

With the increasing use and penetration of digital information technologies throughout its processes and products, the publishing industry is undergoing a fundamental and irreversible transformation. Provided here is a comprehensive single-volume study of that transformation which demonstrates how publishing managers can best take advantage of the opportunities the profound changes will bring. In 15 clearly-written chapters, the seven key elements of publishing, the 7M's, are detailed. An enumeration of critical core concepts and over 30 figures and tables assist in this timely analysis that is essential reading for all stakeholders in the future of publishing.

This eloquent and masterful book details how the recent advancements in digital information technology mark a fundamental and irreversible transformation in the publishing industry. The clearly presented and highly readable text provides a much-needed, concise, easy-to-grasp introduction to this new world of digital publishing, the opportunities it presents, and what it means for managers in the industry, including the fundamental shift from format-based enterprises (e.g., book publishers) to firms that are developers and managers of intellectual properties in multiple forms which best meet their customers' information needs. Throughout the study, the author, a media executive who has held managerial positions in major book publishing, cable television, and software firms, focuses on the business strategies that both traditional print-based and new media publishing firms must implement to adapt and thrive in this rapidly evolving and complex environment.

After an introductory chapter that reviews the major symptoms of change in the current publishing industry environment, the author examines the Information Age and the new information industry as the foundation for his analysis. He then presents his new framework, the seven Ms of publishing, that serves both as the structural backbone and main thesis of the study. The central 11 chapters of the book detail these seven Ms: the five value-added Ms of Material, Mode, Media, Means, and Market; and the two infrastructural Ms of Management and Money. The author supports his analysis with over 30 figures and tables that vividly depict the key points of the study. He also delineates 45 core concepts of publishing in the Information Age within the seven Ms. The final chapter of the book presents the author's vision of the digital publishing enterprise and the paradigm of promise for managers and other stakeholders in the future of publishing.

From a modern perspective, journalism is highly relevant to modern society, along with the emergence of mass printing system and professionalisation. This book, however, expands the meaning of journalism and views it as a social process. It will not only explore the roots and development of Chinese journalism and communication, but also demonstrate how Chinese journalism and communication interact and struggle with social culture and politics. Arranged in chronological order mainly, this book examines the initial development of Chinese journalism in ancient times in chapter 1, which from then manifested strong political attributes. After the Opium War in 1840, missionaries and businessmen from the West started to set up newspapers and periodicals in China, which brought about the birth of China's modern journalism industry. Then China's private newspapers and political party's press are studied, which are closely linked with political revolutions and have a far-reaching impact on modern Chinese society. What happened to Chinese journalism and communication after the founding of People's Republic of China in 1949? This book reviews the newspaper reforms, and studies the great negative impacts brought by "Cultural Revolution". Noteworthy news phenomena after the reform and opening-up are also covered. This book will appeal to scholars and students in journalism, communication and Chinese studies. Readers interested in Chinese society and modern Chinese history will also be attracted by it.

Based on hitherto unexplored and unpublished legal and business records, this study presents the fullest account so far published of any London printing firm in the reign of James I. In particular it examines the businesses of men associated with that crucial instrument of cultural production-the King's Printing House. This institution stood four-square at the top of the London printing and publishing trade, for it monopolized the right to print the Bible, Book of Common Prayer, and other indispensable works promoted or encouraged by the king. The office of King's Printer, initially owned by Robert Barker, was potentially very lucrative, and so attracted the predatory attentions of the prosperous book-trade partnership of John and Bonham Norton, and John Bill. The stage was set for bitter rivalry between Barker and his opponents, rivalry which involved sharp practice, deceit, bullying, and downright thuggery-with lawsuits to match. Barker was no fool yet he was up against very able, resourceful individuals who understood better than Barker that they were in business to promote the king's politico-cultural programme, and extend his influence at home and abroad. That is exactly what John Norton and John Bill did, and to such good effect and with his unique experience of the domestic and continental book trade, Bill eventually became the greatest London book trader, printer, publisher, disseminator of ideas, and cultural entrepreneur of his generation.

A masterclass in cat-and-mouse espionage suspense - and the last lost novel - from the iconic Number One bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES 'Ian Rankin is a genius' Lee Child It always starts with a small lie. That's how you stop noticing the bigger ones. After his friend suspects something strange going on at the launch facility where they both work - and then goes missing - Martin Hepton doesn't believe the official line of "long-term sick leave"... Refusing to stop asking questions, he leaves his old life behind, aware that someone is shadowing his every move. The only hope he has is his ex-girlfriend Jill Watson - the only journalist who will believe his story. But neither of them can believe the puzzle they're piecing together - or just how shocking the secret is that everybody wants to stay hidden... A gripping, page-turning suspense masterclass - experience the brilliance of the iconic Ian Rankin.

This highly original and lively study represents the first analysis of the dynamics of British press reporting of India and the attempts made by the British Government to manipulate press coverage as part of a strategy of imperial control. The press was an important forum for debate over India's future and was used by groups within the political elite to advance their agendas. Yet it also provided the wider British public with the information and images from which they formed their perceptions of the subcontinent. The repercussions of press reporting were therefore considerable, being felt not only in Britain, but also within India and the wider world. For this reason British imperial administrators felt the need to integrate press management with their approach to government. Kaul focuses on a period of critical transition in the history of the Raj, a period which witnessed the impact of the First World War, major constitutional reform initiatives, the tragedy of the Amritsar massacre, and the launching of Gandhi's mass movement. The war was also a watershed in official media manipulation, the Government's previously informal and ad hoc attempts to shape press reporting were placed on a more formal basis and explicitly incorporated into official strategy. This book will be essential reading for students of the British Empire, Indian history and the British press. It also offers important insights for students of media and communications studies and the history of political communication - and indeed anyone concerned with understanding the ever-deepening relationship between politics and the mass media today.

"The 1,000 Hour War" was marked by unprecedented speed and force. This book adopts the view that the telecommunications technologies responsible for guiding smart bombs and Patriot missiles to their targets were the same marvels responsible for transmitting to news agencies around the world information about the progress of the war. "The 1,000 Hour War "was a unique case of military action in that it owed both its prosecution and its coverage specifically to satellites, computers, cellular telephones, microwave relay stations, and a myriad of similar technologies.

No Questions Asked takes an overarching view of media coverage from the day of the 9/11 attacks through the war in Iraq. It also compares and contrasts how the U.S. media vs. international media covered key events during this period. Fact-based rather than polemical, the book explains why journalists responded the way they did during wartime and explores the ramifications for democracy of a weak press. The Fourth Estate's most important job is to present unbiased, accurate information about events, issues, and policies to the public. Without public scrutiny, administrations can become a breeding ground for bad and dangerous ideas. In recent years, for several reasons-including the brilliant psychological manipulation of the nation after the September 11, 2001, attacks-the American media have allowed administration officials to present information to the public without having to worry much about answering uncomfortable questions or having their policies deconstructed for public consumption. Relevant information is buried deep inside newspapers, and gaping holes can be found in many stories; in short, obvious and important questions remain unasked. The lack of questions from reporters led to a misunderstanding of the facts by the American public and, consequently, to their support of policies based on misinformation. Polls have revealed that more than half of Americans believe mistruths about the war in Iraq and world terrorism. Many, including members of the media, say the press has failed to do its job. Very few news reports filled in the basic blanks-the who, what, where, when, and whys-about U.S. foreign policy, the USA Patriot Act, the administration's insistence on the need for secrecy and more power, the truth about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and the necessity of sending our soldiers to topple another country's dictator, throwing an already tenuous region into dangerous imbalance. Very few reports are filling in those blanks now.