An international line up of distinguished experts and emerging scholars methodically examine the different economic, political, cultural, and transnational factors affecting developments in media systems across Central and Eastern Europe. Whereas earlier works in the media system tradition have, in the main, adopted the political framework of comparative politics, the authors argue that media systems are also cultural and economic institutions and there are other critical variables that might explain certain outcomes better. Topics discussed range from political economy to gender inequality to the study of ethno-cultural diversity.

John Downey is Reader in Comparative Media at Loughborough University, UK. He has written widely on new media, the public sphere, and comparative media and in n 2007 he was named as one of the fifty leading communication scholars in Europe by Communication Director magazine. Sabina Mihelj is Lecturer in Media, Communication and Culture at Loughborough University. Her research focuses on issues of collective identity and mass communication, comparative media research and the cultural and social history of Cold War media.

Introduction Comparing Media Systems in Central and Eastern Europe, SabinaMihelj, JohnDowney; Chapter 1 Post-communist Political Systems and Media Freedom and Independence, KarolJakubowicz; Chapter 2 The Interplay of Politics and Economics in Transitional Societies, ColinSparks; Chapter 3 Between Segmentation and Integration, SabinaMihelj; Chapter 4 Gender (In)equity in Post-socialist Media, MojcaPajnik; Chapter 5 Transnational Capital, Media Differentiation, and Institutional Isomorphism in Central and Eastern European Media Systems, JohnDowney; Chapter 6 Transnational Media Regulation in Central and Eastern Europe, AlisonHarcourt; Chapter 7 Back to the Local? Transnational Media Flows and Audience Consumption Patterns in Central and Eastern Europe, Václavst?tka; Chapter 101 Conclusion, JohnDowney, SabinaMihelj;