Holzer offers a fivefold functional determination of the media in capitalism: Media as commodities form a profitable field of capital accumulation, they have a sales and advertising function, serve the legitimation and enforcement of class interests and play a role in the reproduction of exploited labour forces. Despite societal change, continuity of the fundamental characteristics of capitalist media systems and media organization is to be expected. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that Holzer’s works not only give rise to criticism, but also to continuation and concretization. In all ‘building blocks’ of Marx oriented critical communication studies, Holzer has done pioneering work and is one of the founders of a tradition that is today internationally vibrant. An assessment of the reception of Holzer’s work must state that he was more ignored by the power pole of the (German-speaking) field, which followed and still follows counteracting scientific paradigms and theoretical positions, and more prevented by withdrawal of the conditions of reproduction of his scientific work, than intellectually criticized.