Marko Ala-Fossi is University Lecturer in the Faculty of Communication Sciences at the University of Tampere, Finland. His research interests include media policy, political economy and social shaping of new media delivery technologies and the future of public service broadcasting.
tisaari & Hannu Nieminen (2015). Kenen media? Johdatus viestintäpolitiikan tutkimukseen. Tam-pere... more tisaari & Hannu Nieminen (2015). Kenen media? Johdatus viestintäpolitiikan tutkimukseen. Tam-pere: Vastapaino, 311 s. Kenen media? Johdatus viestintäpolitiikan tutkimukseen menee historiaan ensimmäi-senä suomenkielisenä oppikirjana viestintäpolitiikasta. Tutkijat saattoi yhteen Suomen Akatemian hanke median ja viestinnän sääntelystä (2011-2015), ja kaiken takana on vaatimattomasti viimeiseksi itsensä listannut Hannu Nieminen. Maan ainoa viestintäpo-litiikan professori saa tästä hattuunsa hyvin ansaitun sulan. Viestintäpolitiikka on ollut enemmän tai vähemmän läsnä alallamme 60-luvulta läh-tien, mutta sen systemaattinen selittäminen tai opettaminen on jäänyt vähälle, aina mil-loin minkäkin muotiaallon alle. Tekstuaalisen käänteen hurmoksessa viestintäpolitiikkaa rasitti rakenteiden ja normatiivisuuden kirous, mutta nyt digitalisoitumisen ja globaalis-tumisen oloissa se pukkaa esille joka puolelta. Kirjalle on ilmeinen tilaus-oli korkea aika tehdä se. Kirjan 12 lukua jakaantuvat kolme...
Does low VAT on legacy media dwarf digital media? : An overview of VAT policy and the press in Fi... more Does low VAT on legacy media dwarf digital media? : An overview of VAT policy and the press in Finland, Norway and Sweden
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication, Jan 25, 2017
In the European Union, “television-like” is a legal concept, introduced in 2007 as a part of a po... more In the European Union, “television-like” is a legal concept, introduced in 2007 as a part of a political compromise over the scope of the new Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD). The European Commission had originally intended to expand the new rules on linear television programming to cover also all new nonlinear audiovisual content services intended for the same audiences online. This approach was objected to by the U.K. government, which saw it as potentially harmful for the growth of the new online media. Although left practically alone in the opposition in the EU decision-making process, the U.K. government managed with the support of the U.K. regulator Ofcom and the U.K. industry alliance to limit the new directive to cover only “television-like” online services. According to AVMSD Recital 24, these services should “compete for the same audience as television broadcasts” while “the concept of ‘programme’ should be interpreted in a dynamic way taking into account developments in television broadcasting.” The vagueness of this concept has left room for very different and even opposing interpretations. A number of national regulatory authorities in Europe as well as the Court of Justice of the European Union argue that parts of some newspaper’s websites can also be classified as video-on-demand services, while Ofcom has systematically excluded all the audiovisual services on the websites of British newspapers from regulation.Creating a clear definition of “TV-like” content or services is difficult not just because of the vague wording of the EU directive or digital media convergence, but because the whole concept is based on another set of concepts, which definitions are highly dependent on time and context: television, program, and channel as a practice of packaging content into a linear transmission schedule. Early TV was indeed showing radio programming in production, or radio with pictures. From a contemporary perspective, full-length films may seem to be typical content for television, but most of them have originally been made for theatrical distribution. Over the years, audiovisual media formerly known as television has expanded on multiple platforms and its content has also been available in different on demand-type formats for several decades. So depending on your perspective, there is either a plentitude of “TV-like” content services besides the genuine TV or a wide variety of different flavors of television. Currently, it can be argued whether TV is in terminal decline or just integrating with mobile and online media, but it is obvious that any efforts to define “TV-like” content could make sense only as long the traditional, linear type of (broadcast) TV continues to have an important role in our societies and media cultures.
tisaari & Hannu Nieminen (2015). Kenen media? Johdatus viestintäpolitiikan tutkimukseen. Tam-pere... more tisaari & Hannu Nieminen (2015). Kenen media? Johdatus viestintäpolitiikan tutkimukseen. Tam-pere: Vastapaino, 311 s. Kenen media? Johdatus viestintäpolitiikan tutkimukseen menee historiaan ensimmäi-senä suomenkielisenä oppikirjana viestintäpolitiikasta. Tutkijat saattoi yhteen Suomen Akatemian hanke median ja viestinnän sääntelystä (2011-2015), ja kaiken takana on vaatimattomasti viimeiseksi itsensä listannut Hannu Nieminen. Maan ainoa viestintäpo-litiikan professori saa tästä hattuunsa hyvin ansaitun sulan. Viestintäpolitiikka on ollut enemmän tai vähemmän läsnä alallamme 60-luvulta läh-tien, mutta sen systemaattinen selittäminen tai opettaminen on jäänyt vähälle, aina mil-loin minkäkin muotiaallon alle. Tekstuaalisen käänteen hurmoksessa viestintäpolitiikkaa rasitti rakenteiden ja normatiivisuuden kirous, mutta nyt digitalisoitumisen ja globaalis-tumisen oloissa se pukkaa esille joka puolelta. Kirjalle on ilmeinen tilaus-oli korkea aika tehdä se. Kirjan 12 lukua jakaantuvat kolme...
Does low VAT on legacy media dwarf digital media? : An overview of VAT policy and the press in Fi... more Does low VAT on legacy media dwarf digital media? : An overview of VAT policy and the press in Finland, Norway and Sweden
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication, Jan 25, 2017
In the European Union, “television-like” is a legal concept, introduced in 2007 as a part of a po... more In the European Union, “television-like” is a legal concept, introduced in 2007 as a part of a political compromise over the scope of the new Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD). The European Commission had originally intended to expand the new rules on linear television programming to cover also all new nonlinear audiovisual content services intended for the same audiences online. This approach was objected to by the U.K. government, which saw it as potentially harmful for the growth of the new online media. Although left practically alone in the opposition in the EU decision-making process, the U.K. government managed with the support of the U.K. regulator Ofcom and the U.K. industry alliance to limit the new directive to cover only “television-like” online services. According to AVMSD Recital 24, these services should “compete for the same audience as television broadcasts” while “the concept of ‘programme’ should be interpreted in a dynamic way taking into account developments in television broadcasting.” The vagueness of this concept has left room for very different and even opposing interpretations. A number of national regulatory authorities in Europe as well as the Court of Justice of the European Union argue that parts of some newspaper’s websites can also be classified as video-on-demand services, while Ofcom has systematically excluded all the audiovisual services on the websites of British newspapers from regulation.Creating a clear definition of “TV-like” content or services is difficult not just because of the vague wording of the EU directive or digital media convergence, but because the whole concept is based on another set of concepts, which definitions are highly dependent on time and context: television, program, and channel as a practice of packaging content into a linear transmission schedule. Early TV was indeed showing radio programming in production, or radio with pictures. From a contemporary perspective, full-length films may seem to be typical content for television, but most of them have originally been made for theatrical distribution. Over the years, audiovisual media formerly known as television has expanded on multiple platforms and its content has also been available in different on demand-type formats for several decades. So depending on your perspective, there is either a plentitude of “TV-like” content services besides the genuine TV or a wide variety of different flavors of television. Currently, it can be argued whether TV is in terminal decline or just integrating with mobile and online media, but it is obvious that any efforts to define “TV-like” content could make sense only as long the traditional, linear type of (broadcast) TV continues to have an important role in our societies and media cultures.
Several European Union (EU) member states have consistently opposed European Commission (EC) effo... more Several European Union (EU) member states have consistently opposed European Commission (EC) efforts to create a supranational EU spectrum policy, but only Finland voted against the EC at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2015, proposing the release of the entire ultra-high frequency (UHF) band for mobile use. Originally, in 2007, the EC and Finland wanted quick release of the UHF for mobile, but the EC has changed its UHF policy completely. Based on a new institutionalism approach, this article argues that one of the main reasons for this development is that the EU's spectrum policy planning system has become intergovernmental. The EU members are now able to force the EC to seek a wide consensus on spectrum policy. The unique Finnish spectrum policy stand is based on certain nation-specific institutional factors: concentration of power in the spectrum policy, strong economic orientation of the communication policy, and oversupply of UHF frequencies.
"The future of radio is now much less obvious and clear than it appeared 10 years ago. Instead of... more "The future of radio is now much less obvious and clear than it appeared 10 years ago. Instead of a transition from analog to digital audio broadcasting (DAB), there is a selection of alternative technological options for digital audio delivery.
This article studies how 43 people in key positions related to the radio industry in four European countries and Canada view the future of radio and which delivery technologies they consider will be most successful. In addition, it analyzes the motives and reasons why certain technologies are seen as more promising. Finally, it presents different future scenarios for radio media."
Radio's transition to digital transmission is well underway worldwide, with both terrestrial and ... more Radio's transition to digital transmission is well underway worldwide, with both terrestrial and satellite-based systems in operation. However, although most of the world implemented the terrestrial broadcast system known as Eureka 147, U.S. broadcasters swam against the global tide. The National Association of Broadcasters advocated adoption of the In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) system, which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ultimately approved as the U.S. standard, in the face of considerable engineering evidence that Eureka 147 was technologically superior. The NAB and FCC actions reflect the differing social, economic, and political currents in the U.S. context, and demonstrate that technological diffusion may depend largely on what causes the least disruption to existing industrial structures.
"One of the most common arguments in the current debate about financing public service media in F... more "One of the most common arguments in the current debate about financing public service media in Finland is that the traditional TV fee has become obsolete due to the technological development.
However, instead of having abandoned TV for new media, people are actually using their traditional TV sets even more like before. Rather than being a victim of technological obsolescence, the problem of the TV fee is its diluting social acceptance due to a growing dominance of a neoliberal media paradigm. "
Significação – Revista de Cultura Audiovisual , Aug 12, 2013
"Resumo:
A evolução do rádio depende em grande parte não apenas dos contextos culturais de ... more "Resumo:
A evolução do rádio depende em grande parte não apenas dos contextos culturais de um país mas também do desenvolvimento social, político e econômico geral das sociedades. Somado a isso, ela acontece no intercâmbio com todas as outras formas de mídia, e esse é o motivo pelo qual não há uma evolução do rádio que seja ou isolada ou universal. A importância crescente da internet e o aumento da popularidade da banda larga móvel, em conjunto com mudanças econômicas e demográficas em curso numa escala global, continuam a ter efeito polarizador: possivelmente o rádio já teve seu auge no mundo ocidental, enquanto na Ásia e África ele ainda tem um potencial enorme de crescimento.
[The evolution of radio is highly dependent not only on the national cultural contexts but also on the overall social, political and economic development of the societies. In addition, it happens in interplay with all the other forms of media and this is why there is no universal or separate evolution of radio. The growing importance of the Internet and increasing popularity of mobile broadband together with the ongoing economic and demographic changes on a global scale continue to have a polarized effect: in the Western world, broadcast radio may have already had its all-time high, while in Asia and Africa, broadcast radio has still a huge potential for growth. ]"
Despite the ongoing transition from public service broadcasting (PSB) towards public service medi... more Despite the ongoing transition from public service broadcasting (PSB) towards public service media (PSM), the traditional values and basic principles of public service in media – especially including services that nurture and facilitate democracy , support and cultivate domestic culture, and ensuring universal access – have been resilient and remarkably persistent. An enduring goal of media policy in Europe has been making sure domestic PSB providers have the required resources to fulfill their remits. After 20 years of continuing growth in web traffic, and given increasing economic pressures to develop fixed and mobile networks as well as the number and scope of new services, continuation is increasingly tenuous. It is uncertain if public service principles can be maintained in an evolving media environment dominated by network communications. Broadcasting has already lost the normative hegemonic position it enjoyed for decades. An increasing number of governments are reducing funding for PSB, and there is a growing pressure to reallocate more spectrum space to mobile industries. At the same time, public broadcasters are intentionally shifting their shrinking resources from broadcasting to online services they hope will appeal to younger audiences who are more interested in 'new media' and 'social media' as quality content on 'old media' platform doesn't seem to be enough. It is understandable that PSB providers are worried about the consequences of failing to make the leap to new personalized, mobile and networked media. They should also be worried about challenges and problems they will face in an increasing dependency on non-broadcast platforms. Moving public service operations into the networked domain is not about replacing a previous technology with a new one with the idea of replicating the fit. The medium matters because the concept of public service with its traditional humanistic values and democratic principles has been defined purely in terms of the broadcast domain. This special issue focuses on the mismatch and potential contradictions between public service values and the affordances of networked and mobile communication. The idea was partly originated in Tokyo in RIPE@2014 conference discourse about crossing borders and boundaries in PSM. A large part of the empirical work, including a 6-month research period at the University of Leeds in the UK, was funded by the Academy of Finland in a project about Broadcasting in the Post
According to recent European estimates, the life expectancy of broadcasting as a free-to-air tele... more According to recent European estimates, the life expectancy of broadcasting as a free-to-air television platform is not more than 15 years. BBC, Yle and the UK regulator Ofcom have reached this conclusion in their reports about the future of news, media distribution and digital terrestrial television. Although broadcasting is seen as necessary until 2030, all three assume that digital terrestrial television can – under certain conditions – be replaced with delivery using internet protocol. However, it seems that the idea of IPTV taking over digital terrestrial television is just a sophisticated version of 'black box fallacy', driven by the expected growth of the new media ecosystem. The problems in replacing a socio-technological system have largely been neglected.
The promise of convergence and the maturing internet appear to create arenas of communicative ple... more The promise of convergence and the maturing internet appear to create arenas of communicative plenty but, instead of the end of spectrum scarcity, we are witnessing a new challenge of 'coexistence' and fierce competition over spectrum between the broadcasters and mobile telecom providers. Some European countries have already decided on further reductions in the broadcast spectrum, though the vast majority disagreed with the mobile industries' proposal at the World Radiocommunication Conference in November 2015 that the entire ultra high frequency band should in future be shared by mobile broadband and broadcasting. This article explores the proposition that broadcasting requires adequate spectrum in order to deliver the information and cultural assets that are vital for citizenship, at a cost likely to remain significantly lower than comparable service delivered via subscription or broadband providers.
Media policy schemes around the world are seemingly shifting character. As budgets for direct sub... more Media policy schemes around the world are seemingly shifting character. As budgets for direct subsidies are under increasing pressure, the role of indirect tools, such as tax reductions, are growing in relative importance. This article explores the political justifications of value-added tax (VAT) as a media policy tool, and how longitudinal shifts indicate broader changes in the media systems. Based on a document analysis of newspaper VAT development in three countries with similar historical policy models—Finland, Sweden and Norway—the article identifies and describes the dynamics between four major policy positions; transparency, pluralism, harmonisation and financial austerity.
Current public and academic discussion in the US tends to support the view that American commerci... more Current public and academic discussion in the US tends to support the view that American commercial radio has taken a totally new direction for two reasons: the massive station ownership concentration after the Telecom Act of 1996 and the new digital technology. This view is very common among radio scholars and industry professionals – as well as journalists who write about radio media in the US. Some critics argue that this new form of corporate radio, owned by enormous, publicly traded companies, has changed radio’s economic power structure so that these giants may now – using the latest in digital technology – transform what had been lively and local commercial radio into a sheer generic commodity. Local productions have been replaced with syndicated content and in the smaller markets many stations are programmed with pseudo-local and pseudo-live pre-recorded content, using the method of computerized, remote voice tracking also known as “cyber-jocking”.
Esta obra es un manual de carácter divulgativo para dar a conocer el espectro radioeléctrico en u... more Esta obra es un manual de carácter divulgativo para dar a conocer el espectro radioeléctrico en un sentido amplio, pues ha dejado de ser terreno exclusivo de la radio y la televisión. Desde los mínimos fundamentos técnicos hasta sus vertientes social, cultural, económica y comunicativa, el espectro radioeléctrico se ha convertido en protagonista de duras disputas y algunos titulares periodísticos. Conocido popularmente, entre otros motivos, por ser la causa de la resintonización de la TDT en España, los diferentes capítulos de este libro quieren acercar al lector a un nuevo campo de batalla tecnológico, donde combaten dos formas de comunicación, dos modelos de negocio.
Desde la primera línea, el lector se dará cuenta de la enorme complejidad que rodea todo lo que se refiere al espectro, desde ámbitos distintos como la ingeniería, la política, la economía o la comunicación. Por sí solo, el espectro sería un magnífico estudio de caso para ejemplificar la multiplicidad, diversidad y complicación presentes cada vez que hay que que ponerse de acuerdo sobre algún aspecto relacionado con él.
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This article studies how 43 people in key positions related to the radio industry in four European countries and Canada view the future of radio and which delivery technologies they consider will be most successful. In addition, it analyzes the motives and reasons why certain technologies are seen as more promising. Finally, it presents different future scenarios for radio media."
However, instead of having abandoned TV for new media, people are actually using their traditional TV sets even more like before. Rather than being a victim of technological obsolescence, the problem of the TV fee is its diluting social acceptance due to a growing dominance of a neoliberal media paradigm. "
A evolução do rádio depende em grande parte não apenas dos contextos culturais de um país mas também do desenvolvimento social, político e econômico geral das sociedades. Somado a isso, ela acontece no intercâmbio com todas as outras formas de mídia, e esse é o motivo pelo qual não há uma evolução do rádio que seja ou isolada ou universal. A importância crescente da internet e o aumento da popularidade da banda larga móvel, em conjunto com mudanças econômicas e demográficas em curso numa escala global, continuam a ter efeito polarizador: possivelmente o rádio já teve seu auge no mundo ocidental, enquanto na Ásia e África ele ainda tem um potencial enorme de crescimento.
[The evolution of radio is highly dependent not only on the national cultural contexts but also on the overall social, political and economic development of the societies. In addition, it happens in interplay with all the other forms of media and this is why there is no universal or separate evolution of radio. The growing importance of the Internet and increasing popularity of mobile broadband together with the ongoing economic and demographic changes on a global scale continue to have a polarized effect: in the Western world, broadcast radio may have already had its all-time high, while in Asia and Africa, broadcast radio has still a huge potential for growth. ]"
ownership concentration after the Telecom Act of 1996 and the new digital technology. This view is very common among radio scholars and industry professionals – as well as journalists who write about radio media in the US. Some critics argue that this new form of corporate radio, owned by enormous, publicly traded companies, has changed radio’s economic power structure so that these giants may now – using the latest in digital technology – transform what had been lively and local commercial radio into a sheer generic commodity. Local productions have been replaced with syndicated content and in the smaller markets many stations are programmed
with pseudo-local and pseudo-live pre-recorded content, using the method of computerized, remote voice tracking also known as “cyber-jocking”.
Desde la primera línea, el lector se dará cuenta de la enorme complejidad que rodea todo lo que se refiere al espectro, desde ámbitos distintos como la ingeniería, la política, la economía o la comunicación. Por sí solo, el espectro sería un magnífico estudio de caso para ejemplificar la multiplicidad, diversidad y complicación presentes cada vez que hay que que ponerse de acuerdo sobre algún aspecto relacionado con él.