1.0     INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the study

A symbiotic relationship exists between the media and big business who in the final analysis will turn out to be the advertisers. After all it is their products that will be displayed in media. Advertising should be seen as a necessary evil that has its merits. The media industry is in a constantly evolving environment; as the economics of running a media entity become more defined, especially with threats of competition for media revenue, the relationship between the press and advertisers might only blossom.

The role of mass communications and advertising within the institutional structures of contemporary capitalist society has been examined and questioned in substantial literature. However, most of the available literature examines the content and structure of advertisements and note their ability to distort information or the ideological effect that advertisements have on the audience. Bagdikian (1990), Croteau and Hoynes (1997), have attempted to provide a historical basis for advertising and the communications industry, and located them within the history of contemporary capitalism, examining their impact on the socio-political economic structures.

The rising cost of news production and the realisation by the business sector on the relevance of showcasing their products to a wider market, has played a major role in the growth of the advertising industry and the dependence on advertising revenue by the press. Advertising can be seen as an important institution in the consumer society because of its economic benefits; mainly in managing consumer demand and aiding capital accumulation. The modern day media’s dependence on advertising for revenue has reached astronomical heights, although in different segments of the media, the use of advertising revenue may vary. The electronic media ‘which depends solely on advertising’ and thus need to be sensitive to the needs of advertisers, and this impact on their listeners. The bottom line is that the media house have to target a class of audience that is being chased by most advertisers, conventionally that is they have to identify people with disposable income to buy the products of their advertisers