Four Zones, Four Concepts, Actors with a Past: A Special Story of the Beginning – Allied Media Regulation in Austria

For the time being, the Allies’ media regulation was shaped by political goals and largely free of economic interests. This article illustrates the strategies and instruments used by the four occupying powers to reshape Austria’s media landscape after 1945. It shows the differences between their approaches while at the same time achieving a consensus with regard to the goal of building an Austria that was independent of Germany and conscious of its own identity. In retrospect, it also becomes apparent that the structures created during the 10-year occupation period still exist in their basic features.