Frank Lowry, the one time owner of the Ten Network once said, "TV was like any other business", the point being that the Media has a product, namely advertising, which it wishes to sell to the public. .
But Lowry was wrong. Yes the Media is an industry, and it does sell a product, but as Cunningham and Turner point out, the mass media is an industry dealing in consciousness. As the media plays a substantial role in forming consciousness, they can control and direct, ".what we think, how we think and what we think about" (1997; 6-7). They argue that the media have the potential power to be agenda setters.
Protecting Popular Culture.
The mass media also deals with how popular culture is interpreted. Through their representations they can influence or question Australia's cultural ideology. It is through these characteristics, that the mass media gains such enormous power, being able to manage, alter, and marginalise public opinion.
"This means, in practice, that the mass media are not like any other business or service industry, but can carry out some essential tasks for society, especially in the cultural and political arena" (Quote from McQuail in Schultz, J 1994; 21).
Therefore, governments seriously consider their role in protecting the public's interests, as apart from the personal interests of the owners and managers of the media. They do this by imposing regulations and control over how the media informs, entertain and educate its audience.
The tycoons of the media, like other commercial business owners and executives, are motivated by financial profit. The more popular their medium, the more profit they earn. This increases their influence and power they hold over politicians and the populace.
The majority of the media's power is created by attracting a mass viewer, readership or listening audience to its programs. The media's immense revenue is created by then selling these audiences to the highest bidders of commercial industries, and other various advertising agencies.
