On the dynamics of media markets: Professor Karl Erik Gustafsson in memoriam

ABSTRACT

Media and advertising markets have a number of characteristics that affect how firms are competing and collaborating, how new firms enter the markets, and how new products are created. Throughout a research career in media management and media economics that started in the 1960s and stretched over more than five decades, Karl Erik Gustafsson kept exploring these topics, and their implications for both business strategy, regulation, and policy. His work formed early building blocks, both for media management as an academic field, and for the design, operationalisation, and governance of media policy, especially concerning newspaper development, in the Nordic countries. This article provides an introduction to his work.

KEYWORDS:

• Market dynamics
• media policy
• newspapers
• advertising media
• barriers to entry
• media history

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mart Ots

Mart Ots is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at Jönköping University and a former doctoral student of Karl Erik Gustafsson. Several of his research interests were inspired by his supervisor, including marketing planning, advertising markets, and various aspects of national and international media policy. His current research projects involve the application of artificial intelligence in both business innovation and public sector management.

Lennart Weibull

Lennart Weibull is a Senior Professor at the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Gothenburg (JMG) and affiliated to The SOM Institute, University of Gothenburg. His research interests are among others, media policy, media consumption, currently the development of newspaper readership, and media history. In these areas, he has often worked in close contact with Karl Erik Gustafsson, including also some common projects.

Stefan Melesko

Stefan Melesko is an Associate Professor of Media Economics at Jönköping University. After a long and successful career as executive in the Media Industry, he was enticed going back to the academic world by Karl Erik Gustafsson who also acted as his supervisor during his doctoral work and was supportive in the selection of some of his specific research subjects. His current research focus is on mergers and acquisitions and different ownership structures in the media industry.