5503 The Communication Initiative, The Drum Beat – Issue 558, Television September 6 2010

The Drum Beat – Issue 558 – Television
September 6 2010

This issue includes:

* TRENDS and THINKING: television and social change.
* MORE options for finding CI TV-related content.
* Spotlight on: REALITY TV in Africa.
* VOTE in a poll on ICT and empathy.
* Television as a tool for UNITY.
* GUIDES to support a focus on HIV on TV.

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From The Communication Initiative Network – where communication and media are central to social and economic development.

Subscribe to The Drum Beat: http://www.comminit.com/en/user/register
Access this issue online at http://www.comminit.com/en/drum_beat_558.html

Drum Beat Subscribers: 47,154
Page Views across The CI website, past 30 days: 2,630,116

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This issue of The Drum Beat shares just a small selection of the knowledge contributed by Communication Initiative network members illustrating the way television is being used in communities around the world to foster social change.

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PATTERNS: RESEARCH ON TV USE/ABUSE

1.      Kids’ TV Time Linked to School Woes, Bad Habits
This 2010 Canadian study found television watching to be a behaviour translating into poorer classroom behaviour, less physical activity, and more snacking…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/317618/303

2.      Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds
by Victoria J. Rideout, Ulla G. Foehr, and Donald F. Roberts
This January 2010 large-scale, nationally representative survey revealed that television viewing continues to dominate media consumption amongst young people in the United States, taking up about 4.5 hours a day…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/309457/36

3.      Romanian TV Shows Have Bad Influence on Children
This August 2009 article discusses the results of a study on television violence and its effects on children. «This research… indicates an increase [since 2004] in the number of violent acts that can be seen on TV programmes in Romania…»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/301456/36

4.      More References to Condoms, STDs Needed in TV Shows
This February 2010 article predicts the results of a television content analysis by the British government that assessed the quantity of sex scenes that discuss «safe sex» and condom use in TV programming. The study will call on writers to include more dialogue about condoms and plot lines featuring the results of unsafe sex, and will ask them to use more slang words so that teens can connect with the dialogue…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/315791/347

5.      Arab TV Dramas May Reinforce Gender Bias
by Suad Hamada
This June 2009 document claims that Arabic TV channels wait for Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, to launch new soaps that portray women negatively: It indicates that there is a larger television audience during this period who will be seeing portrayals «of abused women who cannot fight or evil females who cannot live without destroying others…»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/297848

6.      Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Policy Challenges Facing the Indonesian Media
by Tessa Piper
From this November 2009 article on Indonesia: Before May 1998, there were only 6 TV stations, 5 of them private and one state-owned. Today, there are a dozen national terrestrial television channels owned by large companies, and a growing number of cable and satellite providers. Local stations number over 100, and ownership is varied. Some offer programmes that incorporate not only local news but also debates on the workings of local government. Viewer participation in such discussions is often encouraged…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/312987/348

7.      Developing Dialogues: Indigenous and Ethnic Community Broadcasting in Australia
by Susan Forde, Kerrie Foxwell, and Michael Meadows
Based on studies conducted in Australia, the authors of this November 2009 article argue that community radio and television worldwide represent an essential service for indigenous and ethnic audiences, empowering them at various levels, fostering «active citizenry», and enhancing the processes of democracy…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/313728/348

8.      Indian Audience Interpretations of Health-Related Content in the Bold and the Beautiful
by Everett M. Rogers, Arvind Singhal, and Avinash Thombre
This December 2004 article explores the meanings given by Indian viewers to a series of health-related episodes dealing with «Tony’s HIV» in the Hollywood (California, United States)-produced television soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Satellite broadcasting has enabled this soap opera to be broadcast around the world…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/71450/347

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PLEASE SEE ALSO:

* The Drum Beat 343 – Sesame Workshop: International Initiatives and Impact
http://www.comminit.com/en/drum_beat_343.html

* The Drum Beat 266 – Television
http://www.comminit.com/en/drum_beat_266.html

* The Soul Beat 148 – Soaps for Social Change
http://www.comminit.com/en/africa/soul-beat-148.html

* The Soul Beat 36 – Television
http://www.comminit.com/en/africa/soul-beat-36.html

* All TV-related content on The CI: http://www.comminit.com/en/section2/36/36%2C71?

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ONE GENRE: REALITY TV – AFRICA

9.      Tosalel’ango Reality Television Show – Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
As part of this reality television format, youth contact Search for Common Ground by email or text message, describing their vision of what they want to change in their community. Two youth are selected and then presented with 3 «challenges»; the show then films them as they carry out advocacy campaigns to tackle the problems in their communities…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/309492/304

10.     Kwanda – South Africa
A collaboration between Soul City, the South African Department of Social Development, and TV station SABC 1, this 13-part reality television show featured teams of volunteers from all over South Africa working together to see whether common challenges faced by South African communities could be resolved. Participants were first trained in how to organise themselves, with a select few also trained in fashion design and sewing in order to launch an urban street wear collection at the close of the show…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/303375/38

11.     The Impact of a Drama Series on the Community Where It Is Produced
by Andile Tobi, Pumla Ntlabati, and Kevin Kelly
This September 2004 report evaluates the impact that the South African television drama series, Tsha Tsha, had on the community of the town in which it was filmed, such as creating temporary employment, giving the small town a national profile, publicising some of the small businesses in town, and creating a sense of pride and hope…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/57758/304

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PLEASE VOTE in our ICT4D Poll: http://www.comminit.com/en/node/309183/307

Should ICT be used to enhance the development of empathy in young children? If yes, how? If no, why not?

* YES. It can show them stories of the lives of other children through video and blogs.

* YES. It can provide «hero» stories of those working for change, particularly in the lives of children.

* YES. It can connect them with other children through adult-arranged social networking, live chats, or «email penpals».

* NO. Young children should not be encouraged to understand others through ICT because it is not developmentally appropriate for them as a tool.

* NO. Young children should not be encouraged by adults to understand others until they present questions of their own based on face-to-face contact with others.

* OTHER. Explain in the comments box.

VOTE and COMMENT at http://www.comminit.com/en/node/309183/307

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TV: CROSSING DIVIDES

12.     Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (JCC) – Middle East
JCC works to combine entertainment with teaching tolerance and open-mindedness in an effort to build knowledge and skills by encouraging respect for diversity. The channel aims to be an open window on different cultures of the world, promoting mutual understanding and sharing information between the children living inside the Arab World and outside…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/132610/303

13.     Pakachere – Malawi
Part of a multi-media edutainment project, the interactive Pakachere Television Talk Show aimed to bring Malawians together to discuss various issues affecting their health. The weekly show was made up of an episode of the Soul City drama series and a locally produced talk show, which discussed emerging themes while bringing relevance to the Malawian context…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/126570/347

14.     The Team Television Series – Morocco
This serial TV drama tells the fictionalised story of a former Moroccan football star who returns to his old neighbourhood in an economically poor part of Casablanca to start a new team, with the goal of providing young people from marginalised communities with positive messages that encourage active civic participation, tolerance, mutual understanding, and moderation…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/316258/304

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HIV ON TV: GUIDES

15.     Getting the Story and Telling It Right, HIV on TV: A Handbook for Television Trainers and Producers
by K. P. Madhu, Mia Malan, Nanna Engebretsen, Moneeza Hashmi, Prerna Sharma, and Shane Etzenhouser
Published in December 2009, this handbook from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Series on Journalism Education is a reference and toolkit designed in 3 parts to support television producers’ and trainers’ information and training needs on HIV and AIDS…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/308849/347

16.     Soap Operas for Social Change to Prevent HIV/AIDS: A Training Guide for Journalists and Media Personnel
This January 2005 guide is designed to be used by journalists and media personnel to plan and execute the production and broadcast of entertainment-education serial dramas for HIV prevention. It focuses on the social-content (educational) portion of such programmes and describes strategies that can overcome cultural and informational barriers to accessing health services…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/283890/347

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We’ve been experimenting over the past few months with new formats of The Drum Beat. Now we need to hear feedback from you. Previous editions have been various styles of HTML email messages. This current edition is a «plain text» email. Please reply todrumbeat@comminit.com and let us know what you prefer – plain text or HTML. Many thanks for your valuable input!

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This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Kier Olsen DeVries.

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The Drum Beat is the email and web network of The Communication Initiative Partnership – ANDI, BBC World Service Trust, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Calandria, CFSC Consortium, CIDA, DFID, FAO, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano, Ford Foundation, Healthlink Worldwide, Inter-American Development Bank, International Institute for Communication and Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, PAHO, The Panos Institute, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, WHO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Chair of the Partners Group: Garth Japhet, Founder, Soul City garth@heartlines.org.za
Executive Director: Warren Feek wfeek@comminit.com

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The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to The CI’s Editorial Director – Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

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