How Do Media Professionsals "Know" Their Audiences?

When professionals want to know how they are being perceived they go about it in several ways. One way is the product research method. They work backwards to see how internal and external forces had an impact on their content. This form of research is based on participant observation, case studies, and thorough tests. A great amount of fieldwork is done to find out what day to day factors have on the media they are producing. They depend on other media professionals to work with them in this process. In some cases these media professionals are observed by researchers; once they have been observed the two can work together to determine how they are being viewed. Many professionals already know somewhat of what they are looking for from former jobs they have had as interns, or junior reporters.

The political approach is one that focuses on economic and political power. An example of this, is how much power media conglomerates have over a production, and aiming their media towards them.

The critical theory is also a method commonly used. This is based on professionals engaging in production that they know supports of the popular groups. By doing this they know they will have a large audience in favor of their new media.

The liberal pluralist perspective is also used, it differs from the critical and political approaches. This recognizes how complex organizations are and how creative professionals have to be in order to do their jobs. This approach believes that these media professionals should not give in to the ruling class, or dominant group. They should create a media that they want to.