Mass media are defind as media which have their proper program and constitute
their own audience. Mass media research, accordingly, deals with the production of
programs and the consumption of the audience. For both perspectives, research
topics are justified, data sources are introduced, and recommendation for the
research infrastructure are given. As for media production, the establishment of a
central media content archive is recommended where content analytic time series
of public agencies as well as of individual researchers are collected. Furthermore,
the development of a unified content analytical system and the promotion of cross national
comparisons are recommended. As for media consumption, the provision
of privately funded data for the scientific community, the promotion of cross national
comparisons and the linkage of programs and audience data are
recommended.