Turkey, the Middle East & the Media| RTU(®)K, Broadcasting, and the Middle East: Regulating the Transnational

Abstract

Media flows and transnational dynamics have increasingly been seen as key components of both shared and eclectic transformations in theMiddle East. WhileTurkeyis emerging as a key political, cultural, and economic player in the region, it is also assuming the role of a significant node in the transnational crossroads that traverse theMiddle East. We scrutinize in this article the ways in which RTÜK—initially a national broadcasting regulatory body—has become an international agent in pursuit of forging a transnational broadcasting sphere in theMiddle East. The authors argue how, if in any way, the initiatives of RTÜK are decentering the hegemonic position of global media and challenging existing power geometries by way of offering an alternative media sphere in theMiddle East.