Cristina Muntean (Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic)
The pressures of a market-driven economy and new technologies have been reshaping the landscape of print media in transition countries in Central Eastern Europe (CEE) such as the Czech Republic. New competitors, formats, technological innovations and economic concentration are challenges that add to the necessity for the news media to act faster, yet maintain information accuracy. Despite increasing challenges, there is still limited attention paid by scholars to media economics in the CEE. Specialized literature on media management is poor while training opportunities are limited and expensive. An open debate on media economics and management strategies in CEE countries is almost nonexistent. In this context, this study is a modest attempt to identify patterns of management strategies in printed business media in three selected countries: the United Kingdom, France and Romania and compare them to models current in the Czech Republic. Based on theoretical approaches of Robert Picard, Gillian Doyle, Nadine Toussaint-Desmoulins and Alan Albarran, the paper uses methods such as in-depth interviews with senior management, surveys of middle management, and cost-benefit and product-reception analyses. The ultimate goals are: to assess the efficiency of current Czech print business media management strategies; to provide recommendations on how these strategies could be improved; and, ultimately, to stimulate a more open, transparent and active debate on media economics in the CEE.
Timing - Saturday - Panel Session H2
Download the full paper - Cristina Muntean.doc
