Arte: An Exploration of its Origins in the Context of Globalization

By Lily Galef

In my research, I attempted to place the Arte network in the context of the increased globalization of media and interrogate its dissemination of “European” culture, while investigating how it simultaneously remains relevant to and defies Hallin and Mancini’s media systems.

My findings resulted in the conclusion that the Arte network is one of many transnational networks that have been formed as a result of deregulation of media and increased globalization. Arte, however, is unique in the fact that it is collaborated on by two media regions that are noted to be fundamentally different in Hallin and Mancini's Comparing Media Systems. I found that though these two conflicting media systems affect the way the network is received in different countries, but does not ultimately restrict its global perspective.

I used two very interesting articles from Jean K. Chalaby to determine how and why Arte and other transnational networks have been able to thrive in the past 20-30 years. I found that deregulation of media, localization of media, communications satellites, and the Television Without Frontiers Directive were key players in this process.

I also put the Arte network into the context of the Adorno reading we did in class and found that the globalization of media can be related to their argument that culture cultivates false needs as well as squashes individuality.

Links to Arte's Website and Youtube site:

http://www.arte.tv/fr/70.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/ARTEplus7