Media Events in a Global Age

"This volume assembles an estimable range of critical analyses of one of the most important mediated artifacts of the modern world—the media event. The authors challenge the construct, extend its usefulness, expand its theoretical basis and application, and examine media events in a far larger and richer context than ever before. Students of global media today are well served by this superb collection of essays."David Morgan, Duke University, USA

"A welcome and worthy successor to Dayan and Katz’s path-breaking study that expands and enriches the discourse on global media events."
Daya Thussu, University of Westminster, UK
"This is an excellent collection, that will enable new kinds of argument about, and hopefully research into, the spectacular functions of the contemporary media."

Graeme Turner, University of Queensland, Australia
We live in an age where the media is intensely global and profoundly changed by digitalization. Not only do many media events have audiences who access them online, but additionally digital media flows are generating new ways in which media events can emerge. In times of increasingly differentiated media technologies and fragmented media landscapes, the ‘eventization’ of the media is increasingly important for the marketing and everyday appreciation of popular media texts.


The events covered include Celebrity Big Brother, 9/11, the Iraq war and World Youth Day 2005 to give readers an understanding of the major debates in this increasingly high-profile area of media and cultural research.

Nick Couldry is Professor of Media & Communications at Goldsmith’s College, University of London, and director of its Centre for the Study of Global Media and Democracy. Previous publications include The Place of Media Power (2000), Media Rituals (2003), and Media Consumption and Public Engagement: Beyond the Presumption of Attention (2007).

Andreas Hepp is Professor of Communications at the University of Bremen, Germany. Recent publications include the co-edited volume Connectivity, Networks and Flows: Conceptualizing Contemporary Communications (2008).
Friedrich Krotz is Professor of Social Communication and Head of the Research Centre "Communication and Digital Media" at the University of Erfurt. He is the editor of Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research.

Introduction 1. Media Events in Globalized Media Cultures Andreas Hepp and Nick Couldry Part 1: Media Events Rethought 2. Beyond Media Events: Disenchantment, Derailment, Disruption Daniel Dayan 3. 'No More Peace!': How Disaster, Terror and War Have Upstaged Media Events Elihu Katz and Tamar Liebes Part 2: The History and Future of the Media Event 4. Historical Perspectives on Media Events: A Comparison of the Lisbon Earthquake in 1755 and the Tsunami Catastrophe in 2004 Jürgen Wilke 5. From Media Events to Ritual to Communicative Form Eric W. Rothenbuhler 6. Media Spectacle and Media Events: Some Critical Reflections Douglas Kellner Part 3: Media Events in the Frame of Contemporary Social and Cultural Media Theory 7. Creating a National Holiday: Media Events, Symbolic Capital and Symbolic Power Friedrich Krotz 8. Modalities of Mediation Joost van Loon 9. Media Events, Eurovision and Societal Centers Göran Bolin Part 4: Media Events and Everyday Identities 10. Permanent Turbulence and Reparatory Work: A Dramaturgical Approach to Late Modern Television Peter Csigo 11. Media Events and Gendered Identities in South Asia - Miss World Going 'Deshi' Norbert Wildermuth 12. Media Event Culture and Lifestyle Management: Observations on the Influence of Media Events on Everyday Culture Udo Göttlich Part 5: Media Events and Global Politics 13. In Pursuit of a Global Image: Media Events as Political Communication Nancy K. Rivenburgh 14. 9/11 and the Transformation of Globalized Media Events Agnieszka Stepinska 15. Eventspheres as Discursive Forms: (Re-) Negotiating the 'Mediated Center' in New Network Cultures Ingrid Volkmer and Florian Deffner Part 6: Media Events and Cultural Contexts 16. Sports Events: The Olympics in Greece Roy Panagiotopoulou 17. Performing Global 'News': Indigenizing WTO as Media Event Lisa Leung 18. Religious Media Events: The Catholic "World Youth Day" as an Example of the Mediatization and Individualization of Religion Conclusion 19. The Media Events Debate: Moving to the Next Stage Stewart M. Hoover