University of Cologne 

The present paper provides insight into a study prepared at the Institute for Broadcasting Economics in a succinct form. Its primary objective consisted of developing a methodology to describe and compare different media systems. The distinguishing feature here is the influence that market, state and civil society exert on the media (Chapter 1). The influence of these three principal provision methods is determined separately for the different media types and the individual value levels of the value-added chains of the media, and subsequently summarized in a weighted average of the German media system (Chapter 2). The changes in the German media system from 1950 to 2020 are thereafter reported in a concise form (Chapter 3). Hence three central findings become evident: 1. State influence on the media over the entire period considered was relatively limited; 2. the number of media types increased throughout the period (“differentiation” of the media); 3. the influence of the market on all media types increased (“commercialization” or “marketization” of the media).

Table of contents:

1. Theoretical Basis
1.1. Market, State and Civil Society as Principal Methodsfor the Provision and Control of the Media
1.2. The Geometry of Hybrid Media Systems
1.3. Optimally Diversified Media Systems as an Allocative Challenge and as an Object of Distributive Conflicts