INTRODUCTION: "The impulse to write this publication stemmed from the rapidly evolving Western European as well as Polish media markets in recent times. The acceleration of these changes has been particularly noticeable since the end of the last century and the beginning of the present one; their unprecedented dynamics and temporality, however, make any attempt to describe the role of the media in the contemporary human environment a difficult task. Looking from this perspective, it therefore seems imperative to capture and consolidate a certain image of the media market, at a specific moment of its transformation."(...)