1. ECREA Conference 2012
How audience constructions guide the way
journalists work
Saturday 27 October
JS 9, 10.30 - 12.00, Room A214
Vinzenz Wyss, Mirco Saner
Zurich University of Applied Sciences
vinzenz.wyss@zhaw.ch
Zürcher Fachhochschule 1
2. Self-observation & Synchronization of Society
Politics
Ecomomy Justice
The public
Journalism Science
Art
Religion Education
Zürcher Fachhochschule 2
3. rules of
resources of domination
signification/legitimation
facilities:
schema / concepts:
Knowledge about audience
idea of audience
steering &
expectation of expectations
controlling processes
role perceptions
recursive process
to communicate / to exert
to legitimate power
4. Input
Quality Policy
idea of the audience /
audience conception
Zürcher Fachhochschule
5. Audience constructions as…
•citizens political
•societal actors
•evaluators of journalism quality
journalistic
•interpreting participants
•fans
cultural
•producers of »user generated content«
•mature consumers
•target group („coin of exchange“) economic
•aggregate of media contacts
(Hasebrink 2008: 526; Kiefer 2001; Siegert 1998; Karmasin 1998 ;
Bonfadelli/Meier 1996; Webster/Pahlen 1994)
Zürcher Fachhochschule 5
7. Online survey
that’s not the case
I have a clear target group
that’s rather not the case
conception
that’s rather the case
Our target group
that’s the case
conception is led by
audience research I don’t know
The preparation of a
programme is guided by the
audience’s need
The audience’s point of
view is one for discussion
during feedbacks/reviews
We communicate the
quality policy to the
audience
Audience feedback is
treated systematically
Zürcher Fachhochschule 7
8. «I have a clear target group conception»
• conception-gap (discrepancy)
- expectation vs. reality
- individual vs. editorial board
• only 2 of 10 editorial teams
have a detailed target group conception
Zürcher Fachhochschule 8
9. Online survey
that’s not the case
I have a clear target group
that’s rather not the case
conception
that’s rather the case
Our target group
that’s the case
conception is led by
audience research I don’t know
The preparation of an
programme is guided by the
audience’s need
The audience’s point of
view is one for discussion
during feedbacks/reviews
We communicate the
quality policy to the
audience
Audience feedback is
treated systematically
Zürcher Fachhochschule 9
10. «Our target group conception is led by
audience research»
• all evaluated editorial teams use audience research
• 6 of 10 do communicate findings about audience research to
the staff (confidential data, «frustrating effects»)
• findings hardly ever led to revised audience conceptions
(2 of 10), because (quantitative) data are in some cases not
convenient.
Zürcher Fachhochschule 10
11. Online survey
that’s not the case
I have a clear target group
that’s rather not the case
conception
that’s rather the case
Our target group
that’s the case
conception is led by
audience research I don’t know
The preparation of a
programme is guided by the
audience’s needs
The audience’s point of
view is one for discussion
during feedbacks/reviews
We communicate the
quality policy to the
audience
Audience feedback is
treated systematically
Zürcher Fachhochschule 11
12. „Message wish“ as a steering instrument
The listener should…
experience / understand / know / recognize etc.
why / that / if / how much etc.
the protaginist / the hero / the victim
slowly / fastly / successfully etc.
helped / decided / supported etc.
this decsion / the event / the victim etc.
altough / while / despite…etc.
Zürcher Fachhochschule
13. «The preparation of a programme is
guided by the audience’s use»
relevance
interest
needs
use/profit
-vague conceptions
-primarily economical conceptions (target group, social
demographics, etc.)
Zürcher Fachhochschule 13
14. Audience constructions as…
•citizens political
•societal actors
•evaluators of journalism quality
journalistic
•interpreting participants
•fans
cultural
•producers of »user generated content«
•mature consumers
•target group („coin of exchange“) economic
•aggregate of media contacts
(Hasebrink 2008: 526; Kiefer 2001; Siegert 1998; Karmasin 1998 ;
Bonfadelli/Meier 1996; Webster/Pahlen 1994)
Zürcher Fachhochschule 14
15. Online survey
that’s not the case
I have a clear target group
that’s rather not the case
conception
that’s rather the case
Our target group
that’s the case
conception is led by
audience research I don’t know
The preparation of a
programme is guided by the
audience’s need
The audience’s point of
view is one for discussion
during feedbacks/reviews
We communicate the Q policy
quality policy to the communicated
audience
online: 3 of 10
Audience feedback is
treated systematically
Zürcher Fachhochschule 15
16. The audience’s point of view is one for
discussion during feedbacks/reviews
• more implicit than explicit
(«that’s what the audience is interested in»)
• representatives of the audience are hardly ever invited to
editorial feedbacks / reviews
the audience point of view is not institutionalised
Zürcher Fachhochschule 16
17. Online survey
that’s not the case
I have a clear target group
that’s rather not the case
conception
that’s rather the case
Our target group
that’s the case
conception is led by
audience research I don’t know
The preparation of a
programme is guided by the
audience’s need
The audience’s point of
view is one for discussion
during feedbacks/reviews
We communicate the Q policy
quality policy to the communicated
audience
online: 3 of 10
Audience feedback is
treated systematically
Zürcher Fachhochschule 17
18. Online survey
that’s not the case
I have a clear target group
that’s rather not the case
conception
that’s rather the case
Our target group
that’s the case
conception is led by
audience research I don’t know
The preparation of a
programme is guided by the
audience’s need
The audience’s point of
view is one for discussion
during feedbacks/reviews
We communicate the
quality policy to the
audience
„matter for the boss“
Audience feedback is
treated systematically (3x) / no systematic
Zürcher Fachhochschule
treatment (10 of 10)
18
19. Conclusion
• from an empirical point of view:
hardly explicit and discursive audience conceptions
(vague, diffuse)
• from a theoretical point of view:
Risk: references do not belong to the journalism system
(domination of economical references)
•from a practical point of view:
missed opportunities concerning a consciously editorial quality
management system
Zürcher Fachhochschule 19
Editor's Notes
Ausgangspunkt der systemtheoretischen Analyse ist die funktionale Ausdifferenzierung der Gesellschaft in verschiedene Funktionssystem, die je auf eine spezifische Problemlösung spezialisiert sind. Die Funktionssysteme Politik, Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft, Kunst, Religion und Erziehung etc. erfüllen für die Gesellschaft exklusive Funktionen und erbringen füreinander wechselseitig Leistungen. Die funktionale Ausdifferenzierung hat zu komplexen gegenseitigen Abhängigkeits- und Beeinflussungsverhältnissen geführt. In dieser Situation ist jedes System genötigt, Erwartungen über seine Umwelt auszubilden und eben die anderen Systeme kommunikativ zu beeinflussen. Dafür braucht es einer ständigen Umweltbeobachtung, mit der ein einzelnes System überfordert wäre. Deshalb – so die These – hat sich ein eigenes Funktionssystem herausgebildet. Kohring schreibt diesem System plausibel die Funktion zu: „ Die Funktion in der Generierung und Kommunikation von Beobachtungen über die Interdependenz, d.h. wechselseitige Abhängigkeits- und Ergänzungsverhältnisse einer funktional ausdifferenzierten Gesellschaft“ Dieses System wird Öffentlichkeit genannt und Journalismus sein zentrales Leistungssystem. .
