Blackwell Reference Online

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The term migrant community media, also known as ethnic or diasporic media, refers to the print, broadcast, and Internet-based operations of ethnic minorities. They have emerged in recent decades as a significant category of global media (→  Globalization Theories ). Previously, such media operated by minority groups in various countries were treated as being of minor academic interest. For a long time, migrant community media were usually underfunded and marginal to the mediascapes of most countries. However, ethnic media operated by community groups have increasingly become channels for transnational media flows (→  International Communication ). Their relative prominence has come about due to a combination of factors, including the growing wealth of minority communities, the rising acknowledgment of ethnic media among host societies, and the increasing technological possibilities for “narrowcasting.” Migrant community media are no longer confined within borders of nations but have transnational →  audiences . The dispersed nature of diasporic settlements within countries and across continents has spurred them to adopt cutting-edge media technologies in order to develop links among themselves. Live or same-day programming is available from the homeland for its diasporas living around the world. Migrants who previously lived in the same neighborhood are also able to reassemble in ... log in or subscribe to read full text