Media policy is an exciting field of continuing controversy. In this book, David Hutchison explores the link between the general formation and implementation of policy and the specific experience of media policy by the population as a whole. The book discusses the basic issues of principle, the processes of implementation and the actual consequences in practice. Hutchison adopts a cross-media approach to policy discussion, ranging across the press, cinema and broadcasting and examining the links between policy in the whole of the media. The book is divided into three sections: the first covers the cultural, economic and technological contexts of media policy; the second considers the principles behind the basis of policy as it has developed over time; and the final section uses case studies to explore the implementation and revision of policy, and relates the earlier discussions to contemporary practice. The emphasis is on UK media policy within the context of European regulation and legislation. The book also takes account of the activities of transnational and global corporations, and makes important comparisons with experience in North America. The volume includes summaries and questions for discussion to aid students and lecturers.