An exploratory study of the changing media environment on the island of Oʻahu in the state of Hawaiʻi

Abstract

Economic models of mass media in Hawaii are changing; new services, new models of ownership and new methods of transmission are being introduced. These changes bring about new economic models that are different that the traditional models that used to pay for mass media. Very little research exists on these changes. This research will look at how mass media economic models are changing and how the media environment in Hawaii is changing. An in-depth interview of 15 experts in the different fields of mass media: television, radio and print, was conducted to gather data for this study. Each of the experts was chosen to represent a different type of mass media in Hawaii. This exploratory study shows that more traditional mass media is shifting its content to the web to save costs and provide new services.