The media long regarded as a characteristic element of state propaganda in authoritarian regimes have become a key interest for western academic literature. Yet little attention has been paid to the fact that media within an authoritarian country may be influenced by external factors as well. This work addresses this issue and explores the roles external factors like media globalization and transnational media corporations (TNMCs) play in the transition of China's media governance. It argues that transnational forces have increasingly imposed insurmountable politico-economic pressures on the Chinese media regime, leading the state to further embrace the globalised economy and thus promote market-driven policies. As such, the ongoing task of media governance transition has a far-reaching impact upon socio-political systems in the PRC-a pattern of steady institutionalization with Chinese characteristics of media governance is emerging. The socio-political impact of the steady media institutionalization fosters a more relaxed space in both political and social domains. This has also challenged the dominant approaches, i. e., the 'Value-domination', the Nationalist, the Liberal model, and the Trans-cultural model, in the study of media politics in authoritarian states. After examining the changes in media institutions, policy responses, media structure, and media culture, the author conceptualizes these changes as institutional transformation, de-regulation,d e-monopolization, and de-propagandization. This dissertation concludes that China's media governance has continuously progressed from the model of 'leader-determined' model towards a 'consensus-building' model with an increase in media participants.
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