An Analysis of Media Cultures: Radio and TV Stations, Newspaper and Magazine Companies

The aims of this research are to investigate the characteristics of the corporate cultures in Taiwanese media organizations, and in particular, to compare the differences between radio and TV stations, newspaper and magazine companies. A questionnaire survey of 334 people from 14 Taiwanese media corporations was undertaken, of which 326 interviewees responded, representing a return of 97.7%. The results show that there are six types of cultural orientation within Taiwanese media organizations, namely leadership and management, institution and rule, values and beliefs, corporate symbols, working climate, and rites and rituals. The research found that in terms of the characteristics of institution and rule, working climate and rites and rituals cultures were more significant in electronic media organizations than those in printed media. The cultural characteristics of values and beliefs, corporate symbols, and rite and ritual orientations within TV stations and newspapers are significantly stronger than magazine publishers. Moreover, the characteristics of the working climate within TV stations are significantly different from those in radio, newspapers and magazine organizations. The findings provide important information for the understanding of media cultures and indicate that the type of media, ownership structures, company background and life, and historical factors may affect cultural characteristics. The results are informative for investors who plan to take over, acquire, merge or invest in different kinds of media since these cultural factors are important determinants of the businesses.