Synergy in media industries doubles as market-power and labor-cost strategy

Evidence

The first episode introduces a vibrant dynamic among spaces of media production with Jack’s arrival as the new head of programming. He renovates his grand corporate office, enacts significant changes to the production of TGS, and is quick to establish another foundational element of 30 Rock: synergy. Now a corporate buzzword, synergy is a term borrowed from chemistry to describe when the combination of two or more elements produces an effect greater than the sum of its individual effects. In the cultural industries, this process can pertain to vertical and horizontal integration, clustering of core media interests, conglomeration, convergence, cross-promotion, multi-platforming, and other associated business strategies of diversifying and extending content. From a more critical perspective, synergy can be seen as an effort to gain market power and lower labor costs. — Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media, 360

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines synergy as borrowed from chemistry and applied to cultural industries, with a critical-counter reading as market power and lowered labor costs.