• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.51
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• pp.117-135
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• 2010

The regulation of media concentration which is provided in the German Interstate Treaty on Broadcasting (RStV) is part of the rules forming the "positive broadcasting order" required by German Constitutional Law. This control ensures that the diversity of viewpoints can be articulated to the public. Broadcasting must operate independently from the state and from particular social groups if it is to be a genuine service to the public. One risk of economic competition in the media is a tendency towards the concentration of business enterprises. Moreover, economic competition is no guarantee for journalistic diversity. The aim of balanced diversity in the broadcasting sector can only be pursued by creating conditions under which different voices obtain the chance to be heard in an equitable manner. Within the framework of the meaning of section 26, it shall be assumed that there is a predominant impact on public opinion if the programs attributable to one company reach an annual audience share of 30 percent. The same shall apply if the company reaches an audience share of 25 percent and holds a dominant position in a related media-market or an overall assessment of its activities in television. The restriction of audience shares has limits such as that the audience shares of news programs and education and entertainment programs are pooled. Therefore, there is a vagueness about the productivity of different program branches.