While quantitative research has been rightly critiqued for not being able to adequately address issues within social science research, one of the major problems facing those engaged in cultural studies especially around the media industry is access to facts and descriptive work. Available through market research and surveys, this information is often confidential, for the exclusive use of insiders in the industry. Seen against this backdrop, Imagi-Nations and Borderless Television by International Business scholar Amos Owen Thomas that uses a comprehensive descriptive and factual terrain to look at the phenomenon and spread of transnational television in Asia and some of its convergent cultures with scholarly rigour is a significant book for students and media researchers. The great value of this book is its attention to detail and factual information about what Thomas terms “border-less television” or broadcasting through satellite footprints that are not limited to specific national and geographic terrains.
May 2006, volume 30, No 5