[ecrea] Arab Media Centre conference

> CALL FOR
> PAPERS
>
> Investors and Entrepreneurship in Arab Media
>
> Conference organised by the
>
> Arab Media Centre
>
> Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), University of
> Westminster
>
> in collaboration with the
>
> New Islamic Public Sphere Programme, University of Copenhagen
>
> and the
>
> CAMRI Media Management Group
>
> Date: 15 April, 2011
>
> Venue: University of Westminster, Regent Street Campus,
>
> 309 Regent Street, London W1
>
>
>
> What impact have global financial turmoil and regional political
> struggles had on investment in Arab media and the way these media are
> managed?  Growth in the number of free-to-air satellite television
> channels across the Arab region slowed markedly in the year to April
> 2010. Yet the same period saw new investment channelled into generating
> films and television content, led by Abu Dhabi bodies like Imagenation
> and twofour54.
>
>
>
> Behind both trends are shifts in favoured business models, with moves
> towards strategic alliances, spreading risk and, in some cases, greater
> acceptance of the transparency imperatives imposed by the need to raise
> capital. After News Corporation's February 2010 purchase of a 9 per cent
> stake in the entertainment group Rotana, the group's owner, Saudi
> Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, announced plans for an initial public
> offering of shares in the group, and the possible launch of a news
> channel.
>
> This conference will showcase current scholarship on the processes that
> underlie contemporary ownership and management practices in Arab media
> organisations. It is the sixth annual international conference to be
> organised by the Arab Media Centre, which is part of the University of
> Westminster' Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), and will
> be held in collaboration with CAMRI's Media Management Group and the New
> Islamic Public Sphere Programme at the University of Copenhagen. 
> Potential topics for conference papers include, but are not limited to,
> the following: 
>
> ·         Management theory and
> its applicability to Arab media
>
> ·         Political theory (e.g.
> elites, networks, clientelism) and Arab media organisations
>
> ·         Horizontal and vertical
> integration of Arab media firms
>
> ·         Business and political
> profiles of Arab media owners
>
> ·         Gender dimensions of
> entrepreneurship in Arab media
>
> ·         Law, policy and
> regulation affecting media ownership and competition in Arab
> countries
>
> ·         New and emerging
> business models in Arab media
>
> ·         Trends in Arab
> investment in content production and distribution
>
> ·         Transparency and
> accountability in subsectors of Arab media
>
> ·         Methodological issues
> in researching Arab media management
>
>
>
> PROGRAMME AND REGISTRATION
>
> This one-day conference will take place on Friday, April 15, 2011. The
> draft programme envisages at least one plenary session devoted to a
> keynote speech.  The fee for registration will be £85, with a
> concessionary rate of £35 for students, to cover all conference
> documentation, refreshments and administration costs. Registration will
> open in February, 2011.
>
> DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS
>
> The deadline for abstracts is Monday, October 25, 2010. Successful
> applicants will be notified by Monday, November 15, 2009. Abstracts
> should be 250 words long. They must include the presenter's name,
> affiliation, email and postal address, together with the title of the
> paper and a 150-word biographical note on the presenter. Two copies of
> the abstract should be sent, one to Professor Naomi Sakr
> ((N.Sakr01 /at/ westminster.ac.uk)) and one to Helen Cohen, Events Administrator
> ((journalism /at/ westminster.ac.uk)). The selection committee will comprise
> members of CAMRI's Arab Media Centre and Media Management Group.
>
> TRAVEL EXPENSES
>
> The conference organisers will apply for funding to assist with travel
> costs of selected participants whose own institutions are unable to
> provide the necessary support. Since the outcome of the application will
> not be known until close to the conference date, participants should
> ensure they have alternative arrangements to cover their own travel and
> accommodation expenses.
>
> PUBLICATION
>
> Opportunities will be open for publication of selected conference papers
> in an edited book focusing on specific conference themes or in academic
> journals whose editors or co-editors are based in CAMRI. Articles may be
> submitted to the Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, Global
> Media and Communication, Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture
> and Interactions.