Fernando Ramallo 19 Minority Languages in Media Communication Abstract: The media represent an area of priority in sociolinguistics. Given their relevance within modern societies, the presence, use and symbolization of multi- lingualism in the media has been subjected to numerous analyses from different perspectives. In this chapter, the role of the media in contexts of language minoriza- tion is addressed as well as their relevance in protecting and promoting minority languages. The case study is that of Galicia, where there are two language commu- nities whose languages have a highly unequal presence in the media. This chapter summarizes the presence of the Galician language in both traditional and new media, highlighting strengths and weaknesses by following three criteria: the general socio- linguistic context, media ownership and public policies. Keywords: Galician, language policy, minority language media, multilingualism, so- ciolinguistics 1 Media and Sociolinguistics The media are a relevant research domain in sociolinguistics. The interest of socio- linguists in media communication can be explained by multiple reasons, such as (i) the relevance of the media in the processes of social change and development; (ii) the variety of discursive genres; and (iii) their role as agents in language policy and linguistic normalization. On the one hand, it should be remembered that the media mediate. They intervene upon reality providing interpretive schemata in a double process of mediation, both structural and cognitive (Martín Serrano 3 2004). The media select the events they portray and design communicative strategies to change or uphold power structures. On the other hand, diversity of the media favors a notable multiplicity of traditional and innovative (cyber)discursive genres, with social net- works as the most obvious example of continuous innovation in mobile communica- tion. Finally, the media play a crucial role in the management of multilingualism, especially in contexts of language minorization, where they are a relevant agent in the production and/or reproduction of the statu quo, attitudes and ideologies (cf. Kelly- Holmes 2012; Kelly-Holmes/Milani 2013). This chapter is framed within this third perspective. Among the many objects of study provided by media analysis, multilingualism has attracted the attention of a large number of researchers in the last few decades. These studies have been conceptualized both from a static perspective, which sees DOI 10.1515/9783110314755-020 In: Bedijs, Kristina and Maaß, Christiane (dir.) (2017). Manual of Romance Language in the Media. Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter, p. 453-470.