Media ownership trends in Latvia: political parallelism and concentration

Abstract

This article analyzes the trends of media ownership structure in Latvia since it joined the European Union. Gathering data about various types of media owners, concentration and the diversity of opinion in the Latvian mass media environment is evaluated. Secondly, an essential matter associated with media operations is the transparency of the media ownership structure; therefore context of the judicial and media self-regulation is provided. Thirdly, the article examines several cases of changes in media ownership, reflecting significant processes – the influence of politicians on media, the hiding of the real identities of media owners through use of foreign companies, change of journalism and media culture due to change of ownership. The article analyzes changes in the media system during the economic recession between 2008 and 2011, since during this period several significant changes in the media ownership structure occurred. The article contains data from LR Register of Enterprises, interviews with media owners, and information from other sources.