A RESEARCH ON EFFECTS OF MEDIA OWNERSHIP BY BUSINESSMEN in THE SAMPLE OF TURKEY

Mihalis Kuyucu
Associate Prof., Istinye University Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, TURKEY, michaelkuyucu@gmail.com

Abstract

In the last thirty years of the Turkish media, investments in the press sector have varied and have changed the patronage structure of press businesses. Decrees of 24 January 1980, which was enacted before September 12, 1980 and created a radical change in the structure of the Turkish economy, initiated the process of conglomerating in the Turkish press. After this process, media businesses have attracted the attention of businessmen, and businessmen invested in the media market. With the interest of businessmen in the media industry, press businesses existing in the 90s were replaced by media holdings, and then media businesses expanded vertically and horizontally, and cross-media ownership increased in Turkish media. In this study, the subject of cross-media ownership in the last thirty years of Turkish media was thoroughly examined, and the negative effects of cross-media ownership on Turkish media economy were addressed. As a result of the development of cross-media ownership in Turkish media, the sector became under the control of a small number of media holdings that grew in this direction. Within the scope of the research, interviews were conducted with 36 people selected as random. In these interviews, opinions about the concept of media ownership and the ownership of the media by businessmen were questioned. As a result of the study, it was emphasized that the media ownership among businessmen damaged media democracy and media economy, and it destroyed plurivocality in the media and paved way to politicization of the press.  It was emphasized that law drafts to prevent media ownership by businessmen should be applied, and it was addressed that media ownership laws should be reorganized for media to gain its independence.

Keywords: Cross-Media, Media Ownership, Turkish Media