Assessing the Field of Media Management and Economics Research: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Abstract

I am honored to be asked by my friend and colleague, Dr. Germán Arango, to provide a contribution to this special issue of Palabra Clave devoted to the topic of media markets and industries, which also will serve to relaunch the Latin American Media Management Association (LAMMA). It has been my privilege to visit Universidad de La Sabana twice in my career, and I have had the opportunity to visit with German and his colleagues at several international meetings over the years. This particular paper will examine the field of media management and economics research by looking at its past and considering the future. In addition to providing a historical overview, the paper will discuss the development of media management and economics as an area of academic research, consider the challenges the field is facing in the 21st century, and present ideas for a research agenda for the next decade. The goal is to provide both a historical perspective and a heuristic look at where the field is headed in terms of re- search and development. For this essay, I am drawing heavily from a paper I presented at the 2012 Research Symposium devoted to “Media Management and Economics Research in a Transmedia Environment,” which was held during the Broadcast Education Association’s annual convention. That paper was published in 2013, and the publisher has given me permission to cite text from that work in this venue (Albarran, 2013).

DOI: 10.5294/pacla.2014.17.4.2