The Impact of Neo-liberal Policies on Media and Public Service Broadcasting

The neo-liberal economic policy that started in the 1970’s and made its presence felt after the 1980’s has changed the economic and political structures of the World. In this period in which Information Technologies made quick progress, the rapidly shrinking markets and rampant unemployment caused investors to turn their attention towards media. In parallel to the recent economic developments in the 1980’s, a commercial approach towards broadcasting surfaced in Turkey. In the era in which commercial broadcasting whose ownership structure was different from the more traditional way of broadcasting was gaining traction, the proprietor and the party in power formed a complicated relationship that pushed back the mentality of public service broadcasting. Although at first it was thought as a place in which the freedom of expression would find voice, as time went on it transformed into a monopoly and failed the expectations of the public. This study focuses on the relationship between private broadcasting and power, the state of public service broadcasting and if it can be a solution for the public in areas such as expression or access to information. In this purpose the role of mass media in the production of hegemonic relationships in a neo-liberal environment is discussed with the focus on neo-liberal economic policies.