Entertainment television is a key part of modern mass culture. Despite this, scholars tend to study news and information, both domestically and internationally much more often than entertainment. The elevation of news over entertainment in the study of international media carries through to textbooks, most of which concentrate on journalism or news. This text is unique in shifting the emphasis to entertainment. Since it is one of the first comprehensive books to deal with entertainment mass media worldwide, it meets students where they are (as TV watchers) and takes them to new places, both geographically and intellectually. Global Entertainment Media elevates global entertainment to au area of worthy media study that was previously reserved for global news and takes a truly worldwide approach, encompassing Nigeria, Egypt, Brazil, and India - in addition to the more high-profile, heavily researched areas of Europe and East Asia. The book also uses the familiar to illuminate new concepts, such as media effects, uses and gratifications, dimensions of cultural variability and proximity, globalization, and (from the field of business) core competency and windowing. an emphasis on why - from the success of "Millionaire" - a show that addresses all five of the classic gratifications - to the penchant of Japanese audiences for celebrity game show players; the dynamic movement of a vicarious trip around the world as students move through the 10 country chapters, starting east to England and arriving at the journey's end in Mexico; country-specific chapters that follow the same template to ensure comparability but draw on the individual insights, expertise, and currency of 10 resident authors; case studies that look at two familiar TV experiences--the Olympics and the "Millionaire" show - in a global and novel way; and a Web site with syllabus, exam questions, projects, classroom ideas, Web links, and maps.
Global Entertainment Media is intended for juniors, seniors, and graduate students in international or comparative media, cross-cultural communication, or TV studies courses.