Public Broadcasting Research Articles

Religious Commodification in Social Experiments on Zavilda TV's YouTube Channel

Social media, including YouTube, has emerged as a significant aspect of contemporary lifestyles in society. Youtubers need to be able to present interesting content ideas in order to attract more viewers and advertisers. Zavilda TV YouTube Channel turns Islam into a content idea and commodifies it to attract more viewers. Religion and spirituality are no longer something exclusive, but have become a commodity and a public broadcast, used as an object and capital in the political economy of the media. Thus, this study aims to uncover realities that reflect the practice of commodification of religion in the Islamic social experiment targeting women. This research uses a qualitative approach with a literature review. Dialogue manuscripts, titles, video descriptions and thumbnails for Zavilda TV are research objects that are studied using observation and documentation methods. The study of the political economy of media and critical discourse analysis are used to uncover and explain commodification in a more critical and in-depth way. The results found in this study are forms of religious commodification in the form of religious symbols and Islamic songs, as well as religious reflections that are given to the target to make them willing to wear the headscarf. The issue of religious tolerance is also included in the content by targeting women of religions other than Islam to try wearing the headscarf. There is a relationship that is lamely built through the clothing of talent and targets like preachers and mad'u. Zavilda TV attempts to disseminate its understanding of religion. The channel asserts that its interpretation of religious doctrine is accurate and obligatory for all Muslim women, even if some of the remarks given tend to discriminate.

The Existence of Local Public Broadcasting Institutions Radio Irama FM Amid Digital Transformation in Public Information Distribution

The aim of the research is to describe and analyze the existence of the local public broadcasting institution Radio Irama FM in the midst of digital transformation in the distribution of public information. The type of research used in this research is descriptive qualitative. Based on the results of the study it can be concluded that 1) indicators of organizational goals have been determined at the local public broadcasting institution Irama FM radio, to achieve existence in the midst of a rapidly growing digitalization stream; 2) this leadership is a character possessed by each leader which will have a direct impact on the existence and progress of an organization. The pattern of relationship between superiors and subordinates will affect harmonization and create a sense of kinship in an organization. 3) at LPPL Radio Irama FM there is a clear organizational structure for the division of labor, although in some time there has been a change in leadership. This is an innovative effort to maintain the existence of LPPL Radio Irama FM amidst the current digital transformation. 4) The responsibility has been firmly held by all employees at LPPL Radio Irama FM to maintain existence in the midst of the digitalization era, even though there are still obstacles that arise in the field.

Portrayal of risk information and its impact on audiences' risk perception during the Covid-19 pandemic: A multi-method approach.

Over the last years, infectious diseases have been traveling across international borders faster than ever before, resulting in major public health crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the rapid changes and unknown risks that mark such events, risk communication faces the challenge to raise awareness and concern among the public without creating panic. Drawing on the social amplification of risk framework-a concept that theorizes how and why risks are amplified or attenuated during the (1) transfer of risk information (by, for instance, news media) and (2) audiences' interpretation and perception of these information-we were interested in the portrayal of risk information and its impact on audiences' risk perception over the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany. We therefore conducted a quantitative content analysis of a major public and private television (TV) newscast (N=321) and combined it with survey data (two-wave panel survey, t1: N=1378 and t2: N=1061). Our results indicate that TV news (as a major information source at that time) were characterized by both risk-attenuating and risk-amplifying characteristics, although risk-amplifying attributes were particularly pronounced by the private TV newscast. Notably, those who only used private TV news between both waves showed the highest perceived severity at time 2. However, the interaction effect of time and use of public and/or private TV news was only significant for perceived susceptibility. Overall, more research is needed to examine the effects of different types of media and changes in risk perceptions over time.

The impact of financial literacy on access to formal financial products in Namibia

AbstractMotivationThe level of financial inclusion has increased markedly in Namibia in recent years. Currently, 78% of the population is considered to be financially included. More importantly, this increase has largely derived from vulnerable groups, including low‐income earners living in rural areas. Although there has been an increase in the rate of financial literacy, there is no formal empirical analysis showing the extent to which improved access to formal financial services is associated with financial literacy.PurposeThis article deepens the empirical analysis of financial literacy by simultaneously considering their effects on savings, bank account ownership, and access to credit and insurance in Namibia. We further disaggregated the analysis to consider heterogeneity between men and women, as well as between rural and urban populations.Approach and methodsWe used data from the Namibia Financial Inclusion Survey of 2017 and the instrumental variable probit model to minimize the bias from possible endogeneity caused by potential measurement error, unobserved variable bias, or reverse causality.FindingsThe study showed that financial literacy significantly increases the likelihood of people using formal financial products. Failure to adequately control for the associated bias would lead to substantial overestimation of the impact of financial literacy. Estimates from the disaggregated analysis showed that the impact of financial literacy differs significantly between rural and urban populations, as well as between men and women. The effects are higher for males than for females and for rural than urban sub‐samples.Policy implicationsThe positive effect of financial literacy on formal financial products suggests that policy options that promote financial literacy are crucial for improving access to formal financial products, particularly for men and the rural population. These policies could include the introduction of financial literacy programmes in schools in order to enhance personal financial knowledge and participation in the formal financial sector. Emphasis should be placed on the raising of awareness, especially among disadvantaged communities, as to the benefits of owning and operating different financial products and on the inclusion of financial literacy programmes on public television.

Brexit and the Iraq War on BBC Question Time: Demographic and Political Issue Representation in UK Public Participation Broadcasting

Public broadcasters are bound by strict guidelines to ensure balance in representing different demographic and political groups, and to better reflect the distribution of these characteristics within the public and political elites. How are these decisions affected when the biggest political issues of the day create further cleavages that not only cross-cut existing divides but also deserve representation in political discourse? In this article, we examine how panel selection on BBC Question Time dealt with this in relation to two prominent issues in twenty-first century UK politics: Brexit and the UK invasion of Iraq. We introduce an original dataset including all BBC Question Time appearances between 2001 and 2019, created using a combination of web-scraping and expert coding. This allows us to trace patterns in representation across sex, ethnicity, educational background, as well as partisan affiliation and stances on issues like Brexit and the Iraq war among the show’s panelists. We find that panel selection closely reflects gender and ethnic diversity among the UK public and MPs, but that individuals from privileged educational backgrounds are vastly overrepresented on the show. For both the Iraq war and Brexit, the show again broadly reflects the views of the public and political elites once we account for relevant comparisons between politicians and non-political guests.

Code-Mixing and Code-Switching in the TV Culinary Show MasterChef Indonesia

This study has explored the phenomenon of Indonesian language use in the culinary world within the public television space, with a focus on code-mixing and code-switching. This research contributes to an understanding of how Indonesian language usage is evolving in culinary television programs and examines its potential impacts on the preservation and development of Indonesian as a national language. A problem-solving approach, based on Gumperz's and Poplack's theories of code-mixing and code-switching, was utilized to analyze language use within Indonesian culinary television programs. The data comprised sentences featuring code-mixing and code-switching instances, extracted from culinary television program videos. This study analyzed the forms of code-mixing and code-switching present within Indonesian culinary television and identified factors influencing their usage. Moreover, it assessed how shifts in Indonesian language use through code-mixing and code-switching may impact the preservation and development of Indonesian as a national language in the public television context.

Productivity and Quality of Facilities and Infrastructure as Support for RRI Tolitoli Broadcasting

This research aims to answer the basic problems faced by Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) Tolitoli in increasing the productivity and quality of broadcasting facilities and infrastructure. Using a qualitative approach and descriptive research methods, this research was conducted at the Republic of Indonesia Radio Public Broadcasting Institute (LPP RRI) Tolitoli over a three-month period. Primary data was obtained through direct observation and in-depth interviews with six informants selected purposively. The research results show that RRI Tolitoli faces a number of challenges in increasing productivity and broadcast quality, especially related to poor infrastructure conditions. Through analysis of productivity and quality variables, research findings highlight the need for improvements in technical and managerial aspects. Although RRI Tolitoli has demonstrated a strong commitment to providing quality broadcasting services, there is still room for significant improvement in terms of technical infrastructure and resource management. The recommendations resulting from this research can become the basis for continuous improvement efforts in public broadcasting in Indonesia, with the main aim of meeting public demands for broadcasting that is informative, high quality and has a positive impact.

Time-Based Cryptosystem

In this paper we introduce a Time-Based Cryptosystem (TBC) scheme. This scheme requires a Time-Based Key Generation Center (TBKGC) to broadcast a set of public keys based on the Multi-prime RSA (MPRSA) at every new interval. The sender encrypts the plaintext with a specified period of time and the corresponding public key broadcast by the TBKGC. And the receiver acquires the corresponding key from the TBKGC to decrypt the ciphertext. We discuss the difference between TBC and Time-Specific Encryption (TSE). Finally we suggest extension and directions of improvement of TBC.

Embrace or leave social media? On the viability of public service media organizations' strategies facing platform power.

This article addresses the question of whether a withdrawal from social media platforms represents a viable strategy in the ongoing relational power negotiations between public service media and platforms, and if so, under what conditions. Recent diverging strategic efforts from public service broadcasters in two European countries - Germany and Norway - serve as illustrations of how existing organizations attempt to manoeuvre the current online realm dominated by platforms. I discuss findings from qualitative studies of news use in Norway and draw on comparative survey data on news use. I propose that high levels of trust in public service media, and widespread use of the public service broadcaster's own sites and offers, are key prerequisites to consider when assessing the viability of a withdrawal from third-party platforms in different countries. By zooming in on one type of media organization (public service broadcasters), and looking at different such organizations' characteristics and context, and the dynamics of their relations to online platforms, the paper contributes to our understanding of platform power.

The European Broadcasting Union: corporate management and voluntary work

Information as a public good is not a thing of nature, but a purposeful action. In my contribution, I explore an international association that got institutionalised around the idea of information as a public good by means of lucrative cooperation between public service broadcasters. It emerged after the Second World War, in a world where public services would become the norm rather than the exception, and has continued to a time when priorities switched fundamentally towards profit and liberalisation. The object of study is the European Broadcasting Union, the largest association of public service media providers in Europe and beyond, servicing more than one billion people as audiences via its members. In order to understand whether EBU's institutional practices still prioritise information as a public good or have moved towards a more neo-lib focus, I undertook an institutional analysis based on secondary data. The research shows that the combination of a neo-lib corporate layer with voluntary working groups from national PSMs makes EBU particularly successful; it looks like a new public management dream come true, except that EBU is not an accountable public organisation. Through the NGO structure, corporate management and voluntary work, it opens large avenues of cooperation for professionals to innovate together, at the end of the day enhancing information as a public good.

Ruth Price: creating a nation’s pop scene

ABSTRACT In Wales, during the 1960s, the seeds of a devolved nation were being sown. The Welsh Language Society was established in 1962, and Gwynfor Evans, first Member of Parliament for Plaid Cymru, was elected in 1966. Against this backdrop Ruth Price left her post as headmistress in 1961 to forge a career at the B.B.C. This article traces a career that led to her successful pop music series Disc a Dawn (Disc and Talent) (1966–73) in which she demonstrated an understanding of the vital role pop music had in addressing a youth audience. In doing so, she ensured the cultural capital of the Welsh language amongst young people and demonstrated the importance of light entertainment for public service broadcasting.

Tuning into Fairness? Comparative Content Analysis of Discrimination Reporting in Flemish Public and Commercial Television News

Tuning into Fairness? Comparative Content Analysis of Discrimination Reporting in Flemish Public and Commercial Television News

From gay liberation to backlash: producing pride and New York’s LGBTQ public culture on The Emerald City

Abstract This article explores how The Emerald City (1977–1979), an LGBTQ public access cable television show, represented the evolving sociopolitical and geographic contexts of New York City in the 1970s and mediated the concept “gay pride.” Tracing its emplacement in New York alongside the development of cable television, this article discusses how the series played a role in producing dominant queer cultural imaginations of the city. Combining analysis of the show’s episodes with archival research and interviews with The Emerald City co-producer Steven Bie, this article argues both for the potential of public access to produce liberatory affective experiences of pride, as well as its role in idealizing a gay imaginary of New York limited by racialized and classed hierarchies. This article demonstrates how public access in the US provided opportunities for marginalized producers to experiment with creating gay television, as well as the structural constraints that limited its political promise.

The Construction of a Hybrid Media Storm: A Belgian Case Study

ABSTRACT In today's hybrid media system, amplified news events rage not only in “older” media such as legacy media but also on “newer” digital platforms such as online alternative news media outlets and social media. However, the role of both legacy news media and digital platforms in constructing events has been little explored. This study examines a hybrid media storm surrounding a Belgian political scandal in 2021. Based on a quantitative content analysis of 1,436 print and online articles from six Flemish newspapers and the public broadcaster’s website, 204 articles from three right-leaning alternative media, and 801 tweets between 1 February and 31 October 2021, the study reveals that digital platforms allow actors with little or no voice in legacy news media to influence the narrative of events on those platforms by actively promoting specific frames. Right-leaning alternative media's coverage, although less pluralistic than legacy media, still offers a broader frame repertoire than Twitter where the framing is one-sided. The case study shows that right-leaning alternative media and Twitter do not necessarily broaden the range of views, but are often a crucial factor in the amplification of specific frames at the expense of others.

Hashtivism as media discourse: analysing pioneer environmental action in Public Service Media through transmedia formula

Various studies have analysed the news media’s participation in debates generated in the public digital sphere represented by social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Some of these debates have gained strength and become authentic movements linked to certain social struggles, such as feminism. Similarly, the so-called ‘environmental hashtivism’ or ‘eco-hashtivism’ is acquiring increasing importance in the context of this digital sphere. In view of this, the focus of this article is the distinctive area of public radio and television channels in Europe to examine the transmedia action #EKIN_klima, developed by the Basque public audiovisual corporation Euskal Irrati Telebista (EITB). The study of this pioneering initiative allows us to understand just how the eco-activism actions of the public news media can help to reposition it within the hybrid media system and contribute to the modernisation of its social function, along the lines of other actions, such as those carried out by the BBC against disinformation. In this way, it has been noted that the environmental issue is not only something to be included in the news media agenda, but also an opportunity for the public news media to legitimise its social and innovative character through transmedia branding actions.

Good People Do Not Eat Others?! Moral Ambiguity in Japanese Fairytales from the Late Nineteenth Century

In 2015, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK aired an educational series that re-examined traditional fairy tales by putting their characters on trial for their immoral behavior, such as revenge, violence, and dishonesty. These tales, rooted in premodern Japanese folklore, were widely available in various book formats by the late nineteenth century and, unlike modern adaptations, they did not sanitize violence or evil. This study analyzes four miniature picture books from the late nineteenth century that recount the story, Kachikachi yama (The Crackling Mountain). This analysis focuses on both verbal and visual representations of good and evil, with attention to themes of loyalty, filial piety, and virtuous revenge. The findings reveal that these picture books presented young readers with complex moral lessons, where the boundaries between good and evil were blurred. Additionally, they illuminate the prevailing image of children during that era, depicting them as “little adults” expected to be educated and prepared for the practical realities of the adult world.

Race-ing Masculinity

Studies about representations of Latinidad in US and European media have identified stereotypes like criminalization and hypersexualization. Furthermore, it has been argued that comedy operates as a double-edged sword in exposing racism, as humor can be deployed to simultaneously mask/justify and show/denounce racial discrimination and monolithic representations of Latinidad. Using a feminist intersectional perspective that foregrounds constructions of masculinities and racialization/migration as exclusionary factors, this essay discusses how RTVE Playz, the digital platform of the Spanish public television aimed at young audiences, represents Latinidad in its series Riders (2021). Situated within the dynamics of racialization in Spain, Riders stands out as an example of dark humor that both complicates and reinforces stereotypes. Through a close reading of the series, we assess its response to current social, political and cultural citizenship challenges.

Effects of Information Providers, Channels and Types on the Adoption of Climate – Resilient Practices in Lesotho

This study examined the effects of information providers, channels and types on the adoption of climate-resilient practices in Lesotho, deviating from the usual separate analysis of the relationships between information provider, channels and types. Previous studies have generated only partial insights into the influence of different information variables on adoption behaviour, neglecting a holistic representation of the interactive effects of all dimensions of information and adoption. Using a sample of 1,659 farmers from the Bureau of Statistics (BOS) database on the 2019/2020 agricultural production survey, the data was analysed using frequency counts, percentages and Probit regression. The results show that the majority of the farmers are male (53%), less than 30 years of age (59%), possess an education level between High School form 1 to 5 (59%), have between 5 and 10 persons per household (50%) and rely on subsistence farming as their main source of income (36%). The extension services provided, as indicated by at least 90% of the farmers, include information on farm management, crop selection, input use, credit, farm machinery, livestock, crop protection, conservation, marketing, irrigation and nutrition. In contrast, the information received is more focused on marketing, livestock production, agronomic practices, irrigation and fisheries production. The major extension service providers and sources of information are public service providers and radio. Agricultural extension information providers, channels and types influence the adoption of climate-resilient practices. The study recommends that extension information providers, channels and types be matched to specific contexts for improved effectiveness.

Video, Feminism and Television: A Trajectory of the Brazilian Feminist Collective Lilith Video, 1983–1988

This article examines the television work made by Lilith Video (1983–1988), active in the city of São Paulo, and one of the first feminist video collectives in Brazil. Lilith was founded by Jacira Melo, Márcia Meireles, and Silvana Afram, producing documentaries and the unprecedented Feminino Plural, a series of five episodes, each one focused on an aspect of the everyday life of Brazilian women. In 1987, TV Cultura public television broadcast the series twice. Feminino Plural still remains perhaps the only feminist programme ever made by an independent collective to go on air. We start by situating the works of the group within Brazilian and international literature; we highlight the ways in which its history interweaves video art, television production, and feminist social movements in immediate Brazilian post-dictatorship. As we move to the analysis of the series, we discuss how the combination of testimony, dramatization, archive, and voice over allowed for a sensible approach to private issues in the virtual public space. By mapping Feminino Plural’s intersectional connections, this article suggests the ways in which the series helped to expand the scope of what was possible for women, understood as plural, opened to colour, class, age, and geographic regions.

Effectiveness of Traffic Reminders on Malaysian Public Radio

Effectiveness of Traffic Reminders on Malaysian Public Radio