ABRIDGED RESEARCH PROPOSAL (CONTINUES)

SEVENTH BLOG ENTRY

From the blogger’s desk

The journey of the research proposal continues on in this blog post. It is here whereby the researcher will look at the methodology, literature review, research assumptions, findings, conclusions, limitations, and possible future studies. These will be looked at as they relate to the proposed research topic (see discussion on the sixth blog entry).

1 METHODOLOGY

In researching about the transformation of media audiences, the researcher would make use of a qualitative research perspective. Such a research perspective would allow the researcher to know about, and adequately contextualise the research phenomena. By definition, a qualitative research perspective or methodology is one that is concerned with the interpretation and exploration of a particular phenomenon. This is done through the use of very descriptive terms that will outline the scope of, and the cause of the phenomenon under investigation. Qualitative researchers, in the same vein, attempt to make sense of, and provide interpretation of certain phenomena through the viewpoints of the subjects of research. In this sense, qualitative research is concerned with the interpretations of the individuals (or in this case of the audience) about a certain state of affairs. Further, such perspective is geared towards describing a phenomenon (in this case audience evolution in South Africa) in comprehensive educational manner. My point of view with a qualitative research method is that it is a sure enough method that one can use to be well acquainted and engage purposefully with the subject matter. Qualitative research can be done over longitudinal and cross-sectional time frames.

It is first worth mentioning that qualitative research methods are effective in identifying intangible factors. These include underlying hidden factors that can be related to, and be inclusive of social norms, socioeconomic status, gender roles, and, as is the topic here, differences in media use. In the said research project (see blog entry six), the researcher could employ, as a research methodology, participant observation, in depth interviews, and focus group interviews.

Participant observation is a type of research technique that can be used in an overall audience research undertaking. In this sense, participant observation can be used to observe the behaviour of people (audiences) as they interact with different forms of communication. The said methodology is further appropriate for collecting data in its naturally occurring behaviour that is ‘in context’.  An occurring behaviour (as is postulated by the research topic) is the use of new forms of communication that have resulted to an evolved and changed audience. The said behaviour can be observed by a researcher (passively and/or actively) through participating in an environment that consists of media users. Media users can be found anywhere so the researcher can choose places ranging from internet cafes to libraries and media institutions themselves. By so doing the researcher is able to note who uses which form of communication, for what reason (this can also be found out through the use of in depth interviewing), and as a way of meeting what need.

By virtue of its (participant observation) definition and scope it has the potential to be an appropriate method to be used in the proposed study. This is because, through participation, audiences can be observed in their own environment. As already mentioned, this environment can include people’s homes, workplace and the like. This is a feasible method because it would only require the researcher to search for, and observe the most accessible audience. Coupled with this is that the researcher would have to gain consent from the participants for purposes of participation observation. What could qualify as a downside is that participation observation can be timeous and may require of lot of dedication especially on the part of the observer.

In depth interview is another research methodology that is commonly used in audience research. It is a method part of a qualitative research perspective. It is in depth interviews that individual audience members are asked to reflect on, and place into perspective their use of the media. It is here also that media researchers get to know both the ‘why’ and ‘how’ part of certain media use by individuals. Audience members are encouraged in interviews to disclose exactly the type of needs that certain media fulfill in their lives. In depth interviewing is an appropriate technique because it potentially points to not only audience (as a whole, that meaning, the sum total of individuals being interviewed at the time) evolution but to evolution at individual level as well.

On issues of feasibility, a media researcher can gather together, through predetermined sampling procedures, a set number of individuals to interview on a one to one basis. Consent will obviously have to be obtained for ethical reasons. The researcher can then in a position to enter the individual’s world, so to speak. To find out what hidden perceptions are there about the media and how are these contextualised. Another benefit of in depth interviewing is that the media researcher gets to interact with the individual on a fairly personal level. This, in turn, makes the interviewee to be relaxed and cooperate towards a meaningful and eye opening interaction.

Focus group interview is yet another methodology that can possibly be used in finding out more about the proposed topic. This technique can be viewed as an extension on the just discussed technique of in depth interviewing above. In other words, where in depth interviewing focused on questioning at individual level, focus group, as the term suggest, focused on the group. Focus group research, as it is sometimes dubbed, involves an ‘organised’ discussion with a group of individuals. Such a discussion is done in order to gain information about group participants’ views and perceptions about a certain topic. Focus group research can be used and is particularly suited for obtaining several perspectives about the same topic. The latter point makes group research appropriate as a way of determining how and to what extent the audience has been transformed through new forms of communication.

Out of the three research methods mentioned above, a careful and well administered use of focus group research would be most viable. Reason for this is that focus group research, as was just mentioned, allows for different and broader perspectives on the same topic. This will not only allow for diversity in responses but it will indeed make up for a balanced study. I touched on this very point in my earlier (see blog entry one) blog posts that dealt with ethical conduct in research. In focus group research, the process of research can prove to be collaborative and engaged. Further, as a final reason, such a research method will enable the researcher to get a larger amount of information in a shorter (often pre-specified) period of time.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Studies of journalism, mass communication studies, audience research studies, and cultural and media studies seem to be welcoming of the notion of a changed and evolved audience. The most recently developed literature in these disciplines now advocates for an audience space that is experiencing dramatic change in very significant ways. One at this point can begin to briefly describe these studies and put them in context to the proposed topic above.

Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating and presenting news and information. It is also the product of these activities. Now, the people responsible for all these activities, that is, the journalists, have now become aware that they have to cater to a diverse and far-reaching range of audiences. These audiences may have different tastes in terms of which information will they allow themselves to be exposed to. Further, the same set of audiences might have different opinions in terms of the presentation of information. These issues and more are indicative of the fact that journalists nowadays have to be cognisant of the changed nature of the media, or rather in this case, the information ‘users’.  

Mass communication studies are concerned with the process in which a person, group of people, or an organisation sends a message through a channel of communication to a large group. This large group is sometimes, but not usually, anonymous and heterogeneous. Heterogeneity touches on the fact that the receivers of mass communication are not the ones that were known to have existed before. Mass communication studies are now more welcoming of a ‘new’ type of receivers with ‘new’ technological needs. So much so that even the very use of the word ‘mass’ is now being questioned as it can no longer be taken to be appropriate for the kind of receivers that now exist.

Cultural and media studies emphasises the study of media in their historical, economic, social, and political context. It is here whereby the researcher examines the cultural forms created and disseminated by media industries. As people (audiences) change and find new find ways of living, the same change is felt in a cultural sense. In other ways, the culture of media use by the audience has been redefined and is changing. As a result, cultural and media researchers now argue for a type of society that has readapted and remolded itself in terms of its media use and cultural identity.

Audience research studies encompass research into the make-up and habits of the audience of a particular television or radio programme. There is now been reached a point where (media) researchers speak of ‘new’ audience research studies. The advent of a new audience research is due to the fact that there now exists a new breed of audiences. Even the research techniques used in this sort of research have to be tailor made for them to coincide with this new breed of media users. Audience research now views the audience member as an evolved active participant who is responsible and engaged in his/her use of the media.

A well-known theory or model that can be said to have not been accepting of the notion of a changed audience is Lasswell’s model of communication. This model can be summed up in the sequence of communication that says” who, says what, in which channel, to whom”. Communication here is therefore seen as a one way, one dimensional transaction. As can be deduced, the model offered no room for feedback let alone the negotiation of meaning between sender and receiver. The model further portrayed audiences as passive and unengaged parts in the communication process. All of this is to point out that Lasswell’s model theory of communication, as it is explained here, is not advocating for the possibility of an evolving audience. In fact, the very term of an evolved audience that is capable of participating in mutual feedback is regarded as taboo in this model and in the studies based on it.

To reiterate, the proposed study has been set up to argue that audience evolution is due to the usage of new forms of communication. An alternative approach to this is that audience evolution is due to, and also determined by new forms of digital audience measurement(s). In this sense, an evolved audience, nowadays, propels media producers and advertisers alsike to employ modern age measuring instruments. This approach was embarked on and published by a group of audience researchers based in San Francisco. In their approach, they used Qauntcast’s unique methodology which employs direct measurement to capture traffic and other measurable attributes. These included audience demographics and the like.

Other approaches argue that audience evolution is due to changing economic conditions. This marks the overall stance taken by Phillip M. Napoli in his book Audience Economies. This book, in a nutshell, emphasises the link between a fluid and uncertain economic sector and how this causes audiences to change in terms of their media use. In other words, audiences sometimes look for (or even create) media based opportunities in order to better their current and often unsatisfactory economic state.

3 RESEARCH ASSUMPTIONS

The proposed study is expected to reveal that (1) there now exists a more active and engaged audience, (2) individual audience members know more and as a result they are able to keep media effects at bay, (3) ‘new’ definitions and a ‘new’ type of relationship now exists between media and society, (4) audience categorisation is now more complex and new ways of audience measurement have emerged because of this, and (5) viewer perspective on issues around media usage and application have changed and become more complex.

The proposed study seeks to shed more light on these assumptions so as to reveal the type of society (audience) that exists in this information age. As a rule, this is a society ruled by, and reliant on the production and dissemination of information. A research of this kind is further geared at revealing the true nature of ‘the audience’ as these exist in present day circumstances and context.

4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

The outcome of the findings can proportionally go both ways. This means that it is envisaged that a considerable amount of the participants in the focus group can be in support of new media. And they can be in support of how new media has changed the very outlook and grouping of ‘the audience’. Change in this sense means one that comes with a different outlook on social and media use issues and the like. Conversely, other participants in the group research, it can be found are still advocate for, and make use of a linear process of communication that comes with ‘old’ (traditional) media. But, if the proposed study is to be of any success it will prove that a bulk of the group research participants is in agreement with the notion of a changed audience. With that said, the outcome of the research will show the impact of new communication forms on audience interpretation and behaviour. The research will also reveal the opposite of this-the opposite being that audience interpretation also has an impact of new communication forms that have emerged.

The studies discussed and contextualised in the literature review namely cultural and media studies and new media studies all welcome the notion of an evolved audience. The proposed study and its anticipated findings fit in well with the new audience perspective that the above studies are now employing. In this way, the findings and the literature review will complement and be in agreement with each other.

As form of evidence, the researcher will include the questions that participants were asked to answer and their responses.

5 CONCLUSIONS

It can be concluded from the findings that new forms of communication, especially as these relate to, and practiced in South Africa have brought about a changed audience. This overall finding supported the initial assumptions that the researcher had put together earlier on in the proposal. These assumptions (see topic 3 above) came about because a number of respondents attested to the notion of a changed audience. The respondents made mention this due to their own usage of the media and that of others that are close to them. From this they inferred that the notion of changed audience is not as far-fetched as one might think it is. In fact, the very age that we are living in is indicative of an emergence of a ‘new’ type of media users who are more engaged and inquisitive.

6 LIMITATIONS

The proposed study only made use of a qualitative research perspective. In this perspective, focus group research was conducted as research methodology. Now, a focus group research can only covered a maximum of twenty (20) participants. This represents a small number as compared to a large number that South Africa alone has in terms of its media users. Therefore this represented a limitation in the research in that the findings cannot be necessarily be generalised to the rest of the (South African) population. Although the methodology revealed diverse interpretations of the same topic, these interpretations were nor diverse and far-reaching enough to warrant an irrefutable conclusion. Further, the research methodology, by definition, ran the risk of respondents being subjective about the topic at hand. By this it is meant that respondents may comment on the topic in a way that makes them look good and be seen as ‘keeping with the times’. The research methodology was again limited in that it was not able to present the results in numerical form. This would make the study to be more broad and comprehensive and its results taken to be more conclusive and systematic. It can be mentioned though that these limitations are however not absolute, that is, that they cannot be bypassed. In fact, by an adjustment of the research methodology in terms of selection criteria and mode of questioning I believe these limitations can be overcome. Failing which, the research methodology would have to be coupled with a quantitative element (possibly surveys) in order to minimise any recurrence of limitations.  

7 POSSIBLE FUTURE STUDIES

After the conclusion of this study perhaps other studies that would follow will look at the notion of a changed audience as it relates to young people. Young people here mean those individuals that fall between the age groups of 10-18 years. Other studies can broaden their horizons by looking at audience evolution in other African countries aside from South Africa. These might look at how and what extent has new media technologies brought about change in audience behaviour (and vice versa) in an African context. Not only studies of audience evolution can come about after this one, but studies on the overall present day communication landscape can also emerge. Communication landscape can touch on a number of issues namely policy making, economic implications, and perhaps, representation of disease-awareness campaigns. All the issues, needless to say, will come back to, and find some root on the audience and how it has changed.

As just mentioned in the previous section, perhaps as a research methodology surveys can be used in this research project. Surveys will cover a lot of ground in terms of the number of participants and the diversity in responses and/or interpretations. Surveys will also be useful as it is easier to generalise the findings that the research will come with. Surveys will see to it that the spirit of the research is intact only just that terrain for research, that is, the respondents will now be broadened.    

ABRIDGED RESEARCH PROPOSAL

SIXTH BLOG ENTRY

From the blogger’s desk

Social science researchers (including media researchers) have always had a keen interest in the way human beings exist and adapt themselves to certain ages. It is no surprise that even in this present age this sort of interest still continues to inform research based on the human sciences. Against this background, the present information age sees a society that functions and adapts by means of information technologies. One would argue that because of this, there now exists a new evolved society that functions according to new laws and new identities, and, of course, according to the implications of a new media. This latter point is the focus of this blog post and it will be dealt with in the form of an abridged research proposal. The proposal starts here and the journey of it will end on the next (seventh) blog post.

1 TITLE

Audience evolution in South Africa: new forms of communication and the transformation of media audiences- viewers’ perspectives.

2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

A research question that one can ask here is that, how has the present day media audience in South Africa evolved due to their exposure to new ways of communication? As a statement this could read, new forms of communication have led to a transformed and more involved South African media audience.

The motivation behind this is that there needs to be an evaluation that seeks to study the present day relationship between the society and their media. Such an evaluation will see to it that problems of misrepresentation are minimised between the media and society. It will further assist media producers to create and disseminate relevant products that are sensitive to the needs of the audience. On the side of media researchers, this sort of study will assist them in conducting relevant studies that portray a timely society and how this very society makes valuable use of the (new) media. These studies, in turn, will assist to inform a relevant and timely communications policy that is proportionate to the needs and expectations of the audience. The field of audience research will benefit immensely from the findings of such a study that is based on the above title. A proper exploration on these issues, I believe, will add immense value to both the knowledge base and mode of living of both the researcher and the society. Not only the said two but also governments, media institutions, political and economic sectors can also benefit from such an undertaking.  

3 BACKGROUND

Embarking on such a research project is guided by the fact that the audience forms a central point in any communication. The communication might be face-to-face (interpersonal), to a large audience (public speaking), or via the internet (new media). In all these instances the audience in the communication process constitutes an important element. “Why the study on a transformed media audience then?” one might ask. It is no secret that today’s communication and media landscape has (as also suggested by the title) changed dramatically. Such a change, one might argue, has given birth to a new breed of recipients (actually the proper word to use here is participants) who are now more aware of their surroundings. From this background, it proves necessary to embark on, as well as reflect on the characteristics that this new society is made up of. Further, it is important to understand how and to what extent the society has been transformed due to new ways of communication and adaptation. As was mentioned in the previous section, audience research is a very relevant study today. That said, an effective audience research is very much dependent on the findings of such a study as the one proposed by the researcher above.

A study on the transformation and evolution of media audiences is important to me due to a number of reasons. One of these being that I feel it is important to investigate and have a clear picture on how audiences interpret media messages. It is equally important to find out how the negotiation of meaning is achieved between the media user and the media text. Coupled with that is trying to find out how this negotiation of meaning is reflective of audiences’ perception of their surroundings, the media, and other people. As a second reason, the proposed research project is essential in that it has the potential of revealing the ways in which society incorporates the media into their everyday life. In relation to this, such a study can provide further understanding of the relationship that exists between society and their media. This can be investigated by means of, and be in line with new definitions of ‘society’, ‘the audience’, ’media audience’, ‘audience participation’, ‘active audience’, and ‘passive audience’. Thirdly, such a research project is of cardinal relevance to, and especially for the South African society-this being a society that is characterised by immense diversity and differing media uses, as a result. In such a society, the study of audience evolution can reveal what needs do the media fulfill and whether these are, in actuality, met. The above reasons can be said to underpin my interest in conducting the above research project. Not only to me but I believe such a study matters to society as well irrespective of class, gender, economic status and/or country residence.

One example that is illustrative of the above research statement is the drastic and accelerating use of high-tech mobile telephony in South Africa. The use of the so called smart phones is an example of a society that has come to rely heavily on new forms of communication. Let us think about this for a moment, a majority of the population in South Africa has and stores sensitive information on their smart phones. Even the small remnants that do not own a smart phone would sometimes feel completely ‘out of touch’, and they, as a result, make it their mission to get one!

Another example is the increasing use of, and reliance on the social media by the South African society. This is not to say that these examples apply to a South African society only but the reference to South Africa is used because it speaks to the proposed research topic. The researcher might sometimes speak in broad terms but the South African audience and its media space will always constitute a point of departure. Now, (almost) everything nowadays is done and lived through via an online reality and applications. What used to be done and given meaning in real time reality has now turned to emerge and exist in a world infused with a virtual reality. The latter has become more real than any tangible thing! Even the very form (that is, the use of computerisation and computer software) that I am using to communicate with you now attests to this. These are only a few of the many examples one can think of where can be said to be a shift in audience behaviour and adaptation. This, one would argue, is a result of new forms of communication that has led South Africans to formulate and live by new (audience) standards or cultures.   

4 PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to understand and further evaluate by reassessing how new forms of communication have brought about a changed audience. Underlying this purpose is the goal of establishing and properly contextualising, as per given circumstances, the present day relationship between the media and society. This will not only address the communication challenges imminent today but it will also potentially inform communication/media policies to be relevant and representative.

The above goal and purpose therefore can be achieved through a careful systematic and interpretive inspection into today’s South African media users. Such an inspection can also prove to be a fun filled and an eye opening experience. By this it is meant that a study on people (or in this case a study on the South African audience) is always welcomed with keen interest especially in terms of its findings. In addition, the research project aims to find out a satisfactory answer to the question “what do people do to the media?” Finally, this research project is geared at examining how (that is through the use of today’s communications technologies) people adapt and adjust themselves to, and survive in this present (information) age.

5 SIGNIFICANCE

A point mentioned earlier is that the audience forms an integral part in any communication.  This is because communication, in the first place, is concerned with the creation and maintenance of meaning. No matter how many of the technological and cultural communicating tools that have now become widespread, the establishment of meaning will always take center stage. Now, the element of establishing meaning is, of course, created and maintained by the audience. This usually occurs via an audience who engages with, and makes sense of a plethora of communication forms. Such a research project, and the investigations conducted therein, is indeed relevant because it can make one aware of how people affect the media and what meaning(s) do they infer from the workings of the media. The research project is also geared at revealing the opposite of this, that is, in what new ways has the workings of the media affected and transformed the audience.

Researching on the transformation of media audiences is cardinal because it has the potential of making one aware that there has been a shift in audience perspective. The majority of the audience is no longer made up of passive and uninformed individuals who take everything at face value. The discourse now speaks of, and addresses a type of audience that is active, informed and more involved in their interaction with the media. More to the point, the discourse in the South African media space now advocates for, and focuses on the implications of the said type of audience. Such a study is again important as it can shed more light into what exactly is the media used (or not used) for, according to the audience. In other words, it is the perspective of the audience that is most paramount in this regard. They (the audience) are really the most suitable bunch to tell us (media researchers) about audience evolution and transformation. This research project and its findings can be of immense significance to academics (especially those in the field of communication studies and the overall social sciences), media producers, media institutions, governments, media (policy) makers, and of course, the public(s). The latter are really the most important as the said study and many others similar to it primarily concern them.  

Speaking of the society, a great deal of misinformation on their part can be experienced should such a study be neglected. By this it is meant that the audience themselves need to be aware about audience evolution in a clear and substantive manner. This will put the audience in a position to better understand the underpinnings of such an evolution. South African audiences, as diverse as they are, need to be aware of their different use of media messages and the meanings they attach to these. Obviously, it is not being suggested that anything catastrophic (depending on how one looks at it) will happen to society if such a study is not conducted. Rather, it is merely being pointed out that such a study can help the South African society to function well and effectively in a healthy media space. This, needless to say, will assist the said society in realising its own potential(s) and further establish themselves meaningfully in this ever changing (new media) world.

COMPARATIVE CRITIQUE OF TWO RESEARCH PROJECTS

FIFTH BLOG ENTRY

From the blogger’s desk

Researchers of media studies are always on the lookout for new information. As a result, they find themselves searching for new solutions that will help them better understand their most prominent terrain of enquiry namely the (mass) media. The said task(s) can be achieved by embarking on a carefully implemented process that will investigate media centric issues as these are related to, and experienced by society. The research process is a sure enough way of achieving the processes of enquiry and learning. However, this post will not embark on its own research process per se but will engage itself in providing a comparative critique on two already embarked upon research projects. This will be done by addressing each (although not every) step in the research process and determine whether these have been realised and clearly illustrated in the research projects concerned. What follows is a hopefully acceptable attempt at providing a fair and educational critique of the research projects in question here.  

Research project one

Public service broadcasting now and in the future- audience attitudes. A report plus research appendix by Human Capital.

TITLE

The research’s project title is concisely and clearly stated as to what has been explored and reported on. The title is further indicative of the time frame(s) that public service broadcasting was explored in and the implications this might have for future similar fashioned research projects. Public service broadcasting was explored and reported on as it is implemented and further viewed both “now and in the future”. Who’s views did the research project focus on as a point of enquiry, one might ask. It is the audiences’ views and attitudes that were the primary focus in this research project. By virtue of the project’s title, one is immediately acquainted with the purpose and scope of the overall research project. As a consequence of that, the research project is accurately described by its title, in other words, a focal point has been established by the title (see blog entry four). From the title also, I might add, the reader is informed about who exactly conducted and compiled the research report. This is obviously important for referencing and verification purposes and I believe it must be stated from the onset as it has been done here.  

ABSTRACT

From the information suggested by the title, it is deducible that the research project dealt with audiences and their views on public service broadcasting. The abstract of the project now goes a little deeper in that provides details of the workshops that were conducted. It is explained in the abstract that these workshops consisted of participants and these were separated into two groups namely deliberative and quantitative respectfully. This is just some of the information that was given in the abstract but it is safe to say that it is representative of the research project. It is here where one finds the tabling of audiences’ attitudes and preferences where public service broadcasting (PSB) is concerned. Although, this part of the report could have been shortened and some of the information included here could have been included in later sections. Overall, the abstract is representative more so because it can be seen that the main source(s) of information were indeed the audience as the object of analysis.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this research project is to gather information, from the perspective of the audience, on the functioning of public service broadcasting and plurality. This is clearly stated in the introductory part of the report. In the same vein, the purpose of the report can also be taken to be a problem statement which by employing the techniques of research can be solved. In not so many words though, these techniques are revealed in this section as in depth interviews and survey research. The report further goes on to explain how the said techniques will be utilised and motivation is provided for their suitability. In an important sense, the usage of the said techniques attest to the purpose of the research project and made this to be more clear and attainable. Notable for me though is that too much information is already given in what is said is said to be just an introduction. By this I mean that it is here also where one is made aware of the research objectives and methodology. It is obviously recommended to mention these but not in so a delved upon manner as it was done here. Further elaboration could have been allocated their own section. However, the purpose of the research project was made, as they say, crystal clear. Notable also is that in the introduction one is informed that the research project was actually embarked upon so as to inform the BBC’s submission of Ofcom’s second review of public service broadcasting which, at the time, was currently underway. This represents a significant piece of information, one that was not, in not so many words at least, disclosed in the abstract of this project. Aside from that, the information given in both the abstract and the introduction is quite similar.   

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Whenever stating a problem statement it is always advisable to provide a brief amount of history or background information as to how it came about. Although there was much information in this project but one is informed that an agreement was reached. This led to an establishment of a research endeavour that was commissioned by the BBC executive to Human Capital of conducting an audience research. From this, one is led to the problem statement without actually calling it that. In the same vein, this report is really more about finding out the hidden views and opinions of participants that it is about solving a particular problem. As a result, one can safely assume, from the report itself, that the ‘problem’ was that audience’s opinions about public broadcasting was not known by the BBC and this, in their view, needed to be researched or looked into. This was not explicitly introduced in the report. It only calls one to deduce it as I have done so myself. That said, the problem in the report was not properly introduced and even if it was it was not put in such a manner that one can clearly identify it as a problem.  

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

(Human Capital 2008:5) of the report includes a layout of a number of research objectives that the research aimed to understand. It is worth noting here that by using the word understand it immediately connotes that the research was interpretative in nature. That said, the reason for conducting the study was explained in that it aimed at understanding the attitudes and perceived views of audiences on particular aspects. One of these being the perceived importance of public service broadcasting and its deliverance, attitudes to new potential sources for funding, and the perceived role of the internet in delivering public service aims, to name but a few. The purpose of the study is also hinted in the title of the report and, as a result, these two (purpose and title) both speak of an exploration of audience’s attitudes. This was determined by using research methodologies that are, as mentioned above, qualitative and interpretive in nature. A logistical reason for conducting the research was also explained in the report. This being that the initial idea of an audience research came with the BBC executives as a way of finding out people’s reception of the services that they, as a broadcasting entity, offer.

THE RESEARCH QUESTION

The author(s) of this report do not necessarily have a research question, at least not one that is overtly stated. However, in the report one is provided with the purpose or research objectives of the research. The purpose is to understand and as a result determine audiences’ attitudes about public service broadcasting as it is now and as it will be in the future. This can be said to be the overriding task of this report and the overall research project. For the purpose of the discussion, one can attempt to restate the purpose of the research into a question. A research question of this kind might go something like, what, in the opinion of audiences, does the future of public service broadcasting look like? A question that can be coupled with that can be, what indications do we have presently that might lead to those future prediction(s)?

These questions and many others that might accompany them are, in one way or the other, justified to the scholarly community. The same can be said about the purpose of the overall research project. Reason for this is that such a research undertaking and the conclusions derived to thereafter can be of much scholarly interest to media studies researchers. One of the branches of research in media studies is media audiences. So, a research project of this kind is based on an aspect that media studies scholars find most interesting and relevant. As a branch of research, media audiences is embarked on as a way of determining the hidden preferences (tastes) that people have when interacting and making sense of certain media products. In this particular case, the researchers wanted to determine audiences’ specific use of broadcasting as one media product. Media audiences as an all-inclusive media studies aspect can be published in a major journal. Related aspects underneath that can be put in minor journals as they will be tackling issues that are part and parcel of media audiences. These aspects, one can argue, might include researching different types of audiences and their usage of different types of media, as it was done in this research project.

In this research project, the research question or rather the purpose of the project was answered. The inclusion of the actual responses by audiences about public service broadcasting attests to this. For instance, the participants were asked to define public service broadcasting and also outline its uses. Participants obliged to this and responded in kind about what they believed public service broadcasting to be and its undeniable uses. Moreover, in the report there is no mention that a similar research was conducted previously by the same or other entity, it is, therefore, not safe to assume that the responses provided in the report are universal.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The relevant literature review has not been examined in this report and even if it has, it has not been done so explicitly. A suitable literature review in this sort of research would have most probably touched on media audiences, qualitative methods such as observation and interviews, public service broadcasting trends, to name but a few. Basically, one is not privy to any section of this report that reflects on what has been already proved, or in this case understood, about public service broadcasting and audiences’ attitudes towards it. Instead, what one is made aware of is the key messages (findings) that the present study derived at. Public service broadcasting, as the overriding topic here, is looked at as it occurs now and the ways in which it may or may not occur in the future. For instance, the questions that participants in both the deliberative and quantitative groups were asked all pointed to each one’s current perceived use of public broadcasting. No literature review is provided that supports the study. However, what can be said to have led to such a study being embarked on is that it was a means by which BBC executives were going to be able to better understand their audience, and more importantly, their audience’s needs.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This research project did not include nor did it describe a theoretical framework. One is made aware of the key messages or the findings of the research and how these findings were derived at. From there on a research design is described in that two sets of groups were interviewed and asked to comment on public service aims and the like. The step whereby there is a description of the theoretical concepts on which the whole research is guided by was not explicitly explained. In any research, especially one of this kind must be inclusive of theoretical concepts that, in the most effective of ways, fulfil the said objective. There should have been included a theoretical framework in this research report. Since the whole project is qualitative and interpretative in nature, the rule is that theoretical concepts are disclosed and interpreted as the research progresses. For instance, participants were asked to point out what they felt to be the aims of public service broadcasting. Concepts such as news, education, entertainment, information, and globalisation were amongst the many that surfaced in the responses. In its defence, one can take these to form a theoretical (although not entirely) basis for the whole research.

RESEARCH APPROACH

The most openly stated justification for this research is that it will reveal the perceived attitudes that are held by people about public broadcasting. This will not only shed more light on the subject but it will the (invested) organisation to better package and deliver its services. The author(s) justifies the research by pointing out that it was task given to them by a reputable institution namely BBC. It is further argued or justified that the findings of the research will assist the BBC in delivering relevant and timeous content to its targeted audience namely the British community. Logistically speaking, the research project will also serve the purpose of a review that, at the time, was to be conducted by Ofcom about public service broadcasting. (Human Capital 2008:3) of the report explains all this and more.

The overall research necessitated the observation of people as they interact with different broadcasting media. Over and above that, the documentation of the experiences when engaging with these different media was also to be collected and interpreted. In such a situation a prominent data generation method that was employed in the research is that of participant observation. The time frame used was cross- sectional in that the participants were during a specific set amount of time. January 2008 to May 2008 to be exact was the amount of time allocated to the overall research. During this period, a total number of 126 participants were observed and their views recorded. Coupled with participant observation is that a cross-sectional survey was used to collect more data at a greater and more vast scale. With regards to sampling, a representative sample was put together and implemented. This included factors that are based on age, gender, socio-economic grade, amount of TV watched, TV platform, and internet access. The research design was appropriate in that it was going to be able to document easily and effectively the attitudes of the participants. Deliberative workshops and quantitative workshops both included a suitable and manageable amount of participants in order to come to a balanced conclusion. Quantitative workshops, in which survey research was mostly used, for instance, comprised of a total number of 4,577 online and face-to-face participants, combined.

A data collection instrument was going to prove valuable to the overall success of the research. Instruments such as recording devices, notebooks, and computer software would be very applicable in such a research project. Although not mentioned but it is safe to assume that such instruments and others like them were made use of as far as the collection of data was concerned. Speaking of, data was collected primarily by conducting workshops that included participants who, in one instance or the other, formed part of a broadcasting audience. Issues of validity and reliability were not necessarily accounted for.

ANALYSIS

As a form of analysis, participants were asked questions and the responses therein were recorded. Questions asked touched on the role of broadcasting, the key responsibilities of public broadcasters, and the most prominent aim(s) of these. These questions were asked in such a manner that researchers in this project were going to be able to find out the hidden views of audiences. Furthermore, such questions were a way of adhering to the research design namely participant observation and its requirements. For comparison sake, a similar set of questions was also posed to the group that formed the quantitative/survey research in this research. The questions used there also set out to determine audiences’ views on public broadcasting and what, according to them, makes it efficient and relevant. Responses here were also analysed in both written and table form. All of this is to say that the analytical approach used in this project proved consistent with the research design and questions.

RESULTS

To reiterate, this research project comprised of a deliberative workshop (interviews) and a quantitative survey (research survey). The aim in both these settings was to find out, as best as possible, people’s attitude towards public service broadcasting. The results were then presented clearly by using texts, tables and figures. For instance, in (Human Capital 2008:43) of the report included people’s responses about the importance of plurality outcomes. Further down, in (Human Capital 2008:44), people were asked to respond (comment on) the contribution of different players to the plurality outcomes. Plurality in this case meant the variety or unlimited viewing choice (through channels) provided by different (public) broadcasters. In both the deliberative and quantitative workshops the results were disclosed clearly in textual and tabular form. In (Human Capital 2008:44) specifically, results ranging from the choice of channels and programmes to the hearing of different points of views were presented in textual and tabular form. Overall, the results of the research project are clear, visible, and easily penetrable. Although the results, as well as the overall research project, focused on the British community only, one is made to know people’s attitudes towards public service broadcasting. The point here being that these, needless to say, cannot be taken to be universal. But for the purpose of this particular project, these results nonetheless sufficed.

Not much explanation is given on the statistics in this research report. The results are clearly presented as has just been established but not sufficiently explained. Results of the quantitative survey, for instance, one would have benefited by being explained to what these statistics mean for public broadcasting and the broader media studies field. Participants here were asked to point out five areas in which they think would be most important to have more than one broadcaster showing programmes. The results thereafter were presented (in figure 10) of the said page. But these were not explained as to how they made the overall research to be contributive to the field.  More importantly, the implications of these statistics on the British broadcasting industry were not explained.

DISCUSSION

As was established earlier that what can be taken to comprise a theoretical framework is actually people’s responses. These responses included, among others, concepts such as news, education, and globalisation. The concluding remarks therefore reflected people’s attitudes (or expectations) towards the widespread (public) broadcasting of news, education and the like. It was further (briefly) explained that young people preferred a sense of variety of channels that they expect broadcasters to provide. Older respondents were said to be more interested in programmes of high quality. Lastly, a sizable number of non-white homes in London were interested in channels that provided differing points of view. From the above points(s), one can argue that the results were, as best as possible, presented in relationship to the theoretical framework.

The (main) research question in this project concerned revealing exactly what are people’s attitudes towards public service broadcasting. Now, the manner in which the results were presented (in texts and figures) does address this research question. As one of the sub questions to the main research question, people were asked to comment on the broadcasting license fee. They were also asked to point out how they viewed the fee in relation to the services provided by the BBC. Basically, as a matter of enquiry, researchers wanted to know what are people’s perceptions on the source(s) of funding available for the successful execution of public service broadcasting. The results were presented but seldom explained by using the two methods mentioned above.

The research can obviously be considered to be a sub branch of media studies. Furthermore, the very topic being dealt with in this project namely media audiences and public broadcasting is of immense interest to the field. In this sense, one can find a correlation between the research project and the field of media studies, or at least a significant portion of it. This is deducible especially when one goes through the concluding points of the research project as these are outlined in (Human Capital 2008:67).

 

LIMITATIONS

There are no limitations that were presented in the research project. This is not to say that a research project of this kind does not have limitations but that they were not disclosed.

CONCLUSION

In the conclusion, it was found that there is a continuing strong support for public service broadcasting. This overarching point of departure was coupled with the fact that audiences duly recognised the BBC as the main provider of public broadcasting. Other broadcasting networks such as ITV1 and Channel 4 were ranked second and Five was ranked further down by audiences. Moreover, what can be said to have been a recommendation in this section of the report is that commercial broadcasters should be given enough ‘playground’ as well. These were considered by audiences to provide varied and diverse programming that can appeal to more than one segment of society. Of consequence is that media/broadcasting policymakers should see to it that commercial broadcasters get enough airtime to deliver their products (programmes) to interested audience members.

There was not any new information that was introduced in this section as all points touched on previously stated facts or findings. A conclusion, as is customary, presents one with a step by step summary of what happened and what was discovered, as a matter of course. This section started with an overall view of public service broadcasting. Thereafter, it moved to reveal the most preferred broadcasting houses or channels that people have come to rely on for news, entertainment, education, to name but a few. There was given a summary of the perceptions people had (or still have) about the license fee. This included findings that were presented in figures ranging from 13 to 31%. These figures were indicative of audience members saying that they are backing the allocation of part of the licence fee to ITV1, Channel 4 and Five. On the whole, the conclusion provides one with a careful systematic sequence of the research done and the discoveries therein.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research project two

Public broadcasting in Africa: A survey. South African country report.

TITLE

The title is well put and it clearly and accurately describes the overall research project. From this title, one is immediately made aware that there will be an exploration in the form of a (research) report that will look at public broadcasting in Africa. Further, public broadcasting will be looked through the eyes of the South African media community. As one of the countries in Africa, the research project, in a narrower sense, focuses on the aims and implications of public broadcasting as these are realised (or not realised) in South Africa. Moreover, from the title as well, one can infer that public broadcasting is looked at as to how it is (or not) reflective of the space in which it occupies. As an end, one can infer that the title poses a challenge to the South African and greater African media space to be mindful of the main stakeholders of public broadcasting namely the public.

ABSRACT

The way in which issues in the abstract are outlined proves to be representative of the scope and more importantly, the aim of the research project. This part of the report does not deviate from the aim of making public broadcasting to be an active contributor to Africa’s democratic consolidation. It is disclosed in this part that such an initiative and many more like it were started in 2008 with the said aim in mind. As a result, this report came after a long carefully planned research of collecting information on regulation, ownership, and access of public broadcasting in Africa. Notably, the role of the broadcaster(s) in Africa is defined and adequately contextualised. This role encompasses issues of accountability, responsibility, and representation that African broadcasters must adhere to for the purposes of, and in accordance to democratic living. The abstract also makes one to be aware that such a research project was initiated by the Open Society Institute (OSI), Africa Governance monitoring and advocacy project (AfriMAP). In an important sense, all of this is to say that, in a nutshell, the abstract lays the past and present foundation(s) from which such a project came from. From the onset, and as suggested by the abstract, this research project would act as a guide with the end of informing participatory and transparent conduct in public broadcasting practitioners, in Africa and abroad.

INTRODUCTION

The introductory part of the report makes it quite clear that public broadcasting is the purpose of the research that was done. Not only that but this part goes further to stipulate that it is public broadcasting in an African context that is most focused on. Now, the country of interest in this report is South Africa. It is hoped, one might argue, that by looking at the South African way of public broadcasting, it might give an indication of how the said medium is done in other African countries. In this sense, the research’s objective was “to assess whether and to what extent African broadcasters create a free public space” (Lloyd et al 2010:7). Such a research and again others similar to it was conducted in other African countries namely Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Mali, and Nigeria, to name but a few. The abstract and the introduction do not differ that much except that the introduction gives more detail into the research’s overall purpose.

The research project had an objective of turning state broadcasters into truly public broadcasters who have, among other things, the public’s best interest. Further, a declaration adopted by the African Union’s commission on Human and People’s rights (ACHPR) compels broadcasters to be truly for, and representative of the public they represent (Lloyd et al 2010: 9). In the same vein, African broadcasters must be seen, in more ways than one, to be accountable to the public. As was mentioned, the report primarily looks at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). This is done as a way of determining whether the SABC is indeed a vehicle through which the South African people can use for purposes of democracy and diversity. This focus was majorly facilitated by a civil society organisation called Save Our SABC (SOS). As a result, this research report is inclusive of the findings and recommendation that will make a realisation of the said purpose above. As a matter of course, in this introductory part it is said that the report will touch on existing regulatory and maintenance media laws eminent in the South African space. This was achieved, as said earlier, by looking at the SABC both as a (public) broadcaster and as a symbol of nation unity and building.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

What can be taken to be to have been a problem or a concern in this report is the current state of public broadcasting in Africa. Public broadcasting, at the time of writing, was seen to be lacking a proper well defined platform for its media. This is to say that Africa consists of countries that are still new in terms of democratic consolidation. As a result, Africa lacks the media space that is conducive for democratic unity. Democratic consolidation, in turn, will ensure that Africa has a public broadcasting sector that represents adequately the space it occupies. Public broadcasting in Africa as a matter of enquiry is clearly introduced in the report both as a problem and course for concern. It is further indicated that such a research report was embarked on as from 2008 as a way of re-evaluating public broadcasting in the African context (Llyod et al 2010:6). As a matter of fact, similar research undertakings and the accompanying reports have been conducted in eleven African countries of which South Africa is one of. Going back to the issue of representation, it was believed that through the successful execution of such research, Africa would and must be portrayed in a positive light. In a nutshell, this survey research report dedicated itself in determining and further combating any media centric obstacle that might hinder democratic consolidation in Africa. Finally, public broadcasting in Africa, as the report suggests, was the first point of investigation into the said problem(s).

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The reason for conducting the study was linked to the fact that “development and democracy cannot thrive without open and free public space” (Lloyd et al 2010:7). Over and above that, this study was put in motion as a way to assess the state of Africa’s broadcasting sector. Also as a way of assessing how it can be used to facilitate continental development. These purposes can naturally be coupled with the fact that citizens must be provided a space in where they can actively engage with policy makers, that is the government. Such active engagement can only be achieved when a certain (African) country consists of well-informed citizens. In this same vein, a well-informed citizen is one whom precise and impartial information is made available to, and given. It is now the (mass) media who must act as an active agent as concerning the adequate provision of such information. More to the point, it is African broadcasters who must, as an overriding mandate, see to it that they provide citizens with relevant and empowering information. Now, such a report also purposes to make sure that African public broadcasters are accountable to the public. Finally, it was envisaged that through this report and the findings therein public broadcasters would be made to be more mindful of their main stakeholder namely, the public.

THE RESEARCH QUESTION

The authors or researchers in this report did not have a research question per se. However, a research question or task was present although this was put more as a statement that, eventually, the research is anticipated to solve. The whole research report focused on public broadcasting and how it is utilised to bring about democratic transformation in an African context. A sub focal point to that was to determine how the broadcasting sector particularly in South Africa is set up to achieve the said purpose. The SABC, as a result, is inspected by looking at “its organisation, its finances, its policies, and the content it offers (Lloyd 2010:8). As an accepted research question, the said purpose can be put as, how can public broadcasters in Africa restructure their set duties to meet the requirements of democratic consolidation? A sub question to that can be put as, what policy amendment strategies can the SABC implement to create a broadcasting space that meets the needs of the public and that can achieve the ends of democracy?

The issue(s) dealt with in this report are of interest to the public and to policy makers alike. As an overarching issue here, public broadcasting is also of interest to the scholarly community and media studies scholars more especially. Reason for this is that for the most part media studies is concerned with the (mass) media and how it affects the audience and vice versa. In this sense, the authors of this report took a close inspection at public broadcasting in a way that entices scholarly interest, and hopefully, involvement. This they did by critically looking at the organisational side as well as the legislative and societal side of public broadcasting.

The report is still not yet finished and there is, according to the authors, a lot to be still added to the report and the overall subject (Lloyd 2010:8). It is therefore anticipated that once the report is finally done it can be used to inform a sizable amount of policies in the broadcasting sector, both in South Africa and in Africa as a whole.

LITERATURE REVIEW

As a matter of reviewing the literature, the researchers took a look at the apartheid system that reigned supreme in South Africa before democratic elections were held in 1994. Briefly, the April 1994 elections ended a system not only ruled by racial lines but that which practiced immense discrimination in the broadcasting sector as well. At that time, broadcasters were never accountable to the public but they merely perpetuated the interests of the (white) minority whom they served. As a result, even operational policies for broadcasting were designed to better suit the said minority (Lloyd 2010:10). As a matter of course, this report was put together in a time whereby the government has now been tasked with repairing the injustices of the past. One of these injustices being a broadcasting sector that did not practice democratic consideration for the public it is supposed to serve. This is to say that the qualities of freedom and equality must also, as with other areas of public life, be realised in matters concerning public broadcasting. Of course, the South African constitution after 1994 can be said to be a document of interest in this review and the overall research report. The authors particularly focused on chapter two that includes the bill of rights. Specific reference is thereafter made to section 15 on freedom of expression, section 16 on freedom of the press and other media, and section 32 that deals with access to information (Lloyd 2010:10).

Now, one might argue, that an undeniable link can be said to exist between the above review and the stated purpose of the report. The authors, through the employment of research methodologies, try to establish whether the overall African broadcasting sector has indeed succeeded in providing proper space for the realisation of a democratic (mass) media. More to the point, the authors attempt to find out whether the SABC as a public broadcaster is indeed facilitating democratic consolidation. Considering the issues just posed, such a literature review and many others similar to it support the need for such a study to be done and published.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

What can be said to be a theoretical framework here are the sentiments attached to concepts such as equality, democracy, freedom, justice, power, and the public. These terms can be regarded as conceptual building blocks that the report seemed to be based on. Also, they form the basis on which public broadcasting in Africa is viewed against. As was mentioned, such a survey or study seeks to establish whether public broadcasting in Africa is indeed reflective of the said frameworks. Although these concepts are not defined in the report per se, they are however mentioned in such a manner that challenges the current state of public broadcasting in Africa to regroup and reshape itself.

RESEARCH APPROACH

The authors of this report are almost adamant that such a study will add immense contributions to the broadcasting sector. Reason for this is that issues around public broadcasting are seen in a new light. That is to say that now broadcasting is viewed against a new dispensation that prides itself in fostering change and democratic values (see above). In a nutshell, public broadcasting is linked with democracy and freedom. Who’s democracy? Who’s freedom? One might ask, and the answer to that as can be found in the report is that it is freedom and democracy of the public that must reign supreme now. In such a big research endeavour, the authors made use of survey research as way of collecting data. Alongside this, it can also be seen that a considerable amount of archival research was used in the report. As far as sampling goes, the research was conducted in eleven African countries. Public broadcasting in each country was then evaluated as per criteria so as to determine public broadcasting there.

ANALYSIS

The area of analysis in this report is the public broadcasting sector of Africa. Coupled with that, it was further investigated whether the aims of democracy are realised in each African country. These aims were studied and analysed as they relate to public broadcasting. Public broadcasting in Africa and particularly in South Africa was analysed so as to see exactly who it is accountable to. In a narrower sense, an analysis of the SABC was conducted so as to see its current policy framework and whether it adheres to democratic consolidation. The content, organisation etc. of the SABC was scrutinised for this very same purpose.

RESULTS

It is in textual form only that results in this report were presented. The SABC was found to have made a considerable amount of progress where public broadcasting is concerned. On the other hand, the same public broadcaster was found to be faced with problems around management and funding that, at times, hindered its autonomy and mandate (Lloyd 2010:217). Because of this, the SABC finds itself in a situation where it has to cater more for its funders than its main stakeholder, the public. It was also found that South Africa as a country has made considerable progress towards achieving democratic consolidation. As good as that may sound, the same country is still faced with lingering problems of poverty and inequality. It is the remote rural places that are predominantly faced with this problem. As a result, even the sector under discussion suffers from inequality and not enough access that can be said to be available to everyone. On the one hand, South Africa is seen to have obtained for itself a prominent media freedom that even policy makers have to acknowledge and uphold. On the other hand, South Africa still faces cases where the autonomy of the media is sometimes put in jeopardy, and one might argue, explicitly undermined. A situation of this sort comes to being in numerous court cases where there has to be a balancing of conflicting rights (Lloyd 2010:217). As a final finding, we are being brought to the ever present phenomenon of the digital divide that has, in such a short space of time, infiltrated the South African space. One might even go on to say that South Africa is also faced with cultural, economic, and information divides. These, needless to say, cannot be said to have any contribution to the ideal of democratic consolidation.    

LIMITATIONS

The limitations are discussed as well as the implications. As a limitation, this type of research cannot be conducted in all the 54 African countries for reasons of reach and other logistics.

CONCLUSION

A recommendation for future research is that it must be made sure that it is conducted over a larger scale, over a larger population. Also, public broadcasters themselves in each country can be interviewed in order to get a sense of how they view public broadcasting and the implications therein. Finally, public broadcasting in Africa has made considerable progress but issues of poverty and inequality need to be addressed first and foremost. This will assist in achieving a public broadcasting sector that is not only sensitive to the needs of the public but also one which assets itself to the meeting of those needs. That said, the struggle still continues for a truly free and independent (African) public broadcasting sector that proudly serves and protects the public!

REFERENCES

Human Capital. 2008. Public service broadcasting now and in the future- audience attitudes. A report plus research appendix by Human Capital.

Lloyd, L, Duncan, J, Minnie, J, & Bussiek, H, 2010. Public broadcasting in Africa. A survey. South African country report