A Strategic Approach to Russian Media System Analysis: Defining Mission, Values and Priorities

Abstract

Modern media has transformed into a full-fledged industry, embedded in the national economy and inextricably linked with other industries. The strong dependence between the main economic indicators of the media industry and macroeconomic indicators determines the importance of a long-term media strategy. A successful strategy of media system development may improve the national economy and ensure social prosperity in the sense of Aristotelian eudaimonia. The research objective was to develop a new methodology for media strategizing with its mission, values, objectives, and strategic priorities. The study was based on strategy theory, media theory, mathematical economics, econometric methods of strategic media monitoring, and a new method of game-theoretic models of the three-sided market. The object of strategizing was a complex multi-level environment formed by media institutions in their interaction with each other and society, media market, infrastructure, manufacturers, developers, and distributors. The Russian media system was subjected to a primary OTSW analysis, which revealed five priorities. The author developed a quantitative assessment methodology for each priority. The research is a foundation for a separate interdisciplinary discipline “Theory of Media Strategy”.