Electronic Library of Scientific Literature
Electronic Library of Scientific Literature
Dana Kovacova
In the year 1990 the research programme of the Journalist Study Institute adopted a sociologic project - research of new media. In the frame of this project the changes in medial background in the SR due to appearance of new media after 1989, as well as changes in communication and postcommunication behaviour of recipients have been mapped, effects, place and function of certain media, dynamics and orientation of these changes have been analysed, possible negative consequences of influence of new media have been anticipated.
Until 1989 access to new media within the medial environment was poor. As far as various media types were concerned, only video and video programmes, teletext, CD and personal computers were available, but on a minimum level (up to 2 % of all potential recipients). If we consider the year 1990 to be the year "zero" for introduction of new media in the SR, the following five years have meant a tremendous increase and tempo of development in this field. At present we observe great changes in medial environment (new phenomena) especially in the following areas : structural changes of this environment, place and functions of media and subsequent utilisation by recipients, increased programme volume, additional programmes, programmes prepared under individual choice, preparation of interactive networks and service development, development of programme distribution, new network operators, media service, legislation, legal norms and recommendations concerned, limitations and borders of transmitting and operating of new media, new requirements on research in the field of medial communication, recipients - users of new media, quality of programme menu (Americanisation, protection of children and youth rights, violation problems). About 40 % of households have access to satellite broadcasting, 370 000 households are connected to cable distribution, there are 55 video programme distributors and 1 500 video services in Slovakia, access to teletext reaches 22 % and CD 15 %.
Keywords: new media - situation in 1995 - cable television
- satellite broadcasting stations - video - teletext - video games
- CD - access - legislation - changes in communication behaviour
- programme menu
pp. 265-274
Andrej Skolkay
The article analyses three foreign reports on the state of freedom of mass media in the world in 1994: firstly, the Freedom House report "The Press: Pressed and Oppressed", secondly the annual report of the organisation Reporters sans frontieres "1995 Report", and thirdly the report of the Committee to Protect Journalists "Attacks on the Press in 1994". The author of this comparative analysis compares freedom of mass media in different countries and sums up the most important trends jeopardising the freedom of distribution of print, broadcast and visual information. He devotes special attention to freedom of journalists in Slovakia and compares it to the situation in surrounding post-communist states. The article analyses errors in the reports of the Reporters sans frontieres and the Committee to Protect Journalists in relation to Slovakia. The author also describes other examples of the struggle for freedom of the press and other media in Slovakia, which the reports has not touched upon. This part of analysis forms more than one third of the whole contribution. The original information given in the reports as well as the new data on the political role of mass media in Slovakia were verified by personal contact, through telephone or fax, or by reference to written sources.
Key words: freedom of mass media - political and economic pressure
- foreign and home analyses - access to information - Slovakia
and the world
pp. 275-286
Lulivera Krasteva
Translated by PhDr. Denisa Vlkova
The author maps real situation of the Bulga-rian mass media after the fall of socialism. She calls and analyses basic reasons of decline of journalism in Bulgaria despite the fact that the East-European medial space got rid of the totalitarian ruling of one political party. She evaluates the current state of so-called investigative journalism, the reflection of which is each time less visible in everyday life, and she comes to the conclusion that situation in journalism is an authentic copy of unsteady Bulgarian society. The author calls the whole process of social fragmentation and polarisation of the society depicted by media "a new medial non-communicativeness". This situation is quite paradoxical, because independence and plurality of viewpoints are at present loudly proclaimed in Bulgaria, however, the level of information of people through media is decreasing, and quite important role in this process is played by a new type of so-called deskbound journalism as well as limited quantity and range of information sources.
Keywords: investigative journalism - Bulgarian media - evaluation
of social situation - non-communicativeness of media
pp. 287-289
Vlasta Konecna
Radio affects its addressee through a sound which consists of speech, music and noises. However, the fundamental and the most important instrument of expression in radio is the speech, that should be clear and understandable. Proper articulation, clear diction and appropriate utilisation of sound means are inevitable. With regard to the radius of radio broadcasting, the radio language should comply with criteria of universality, literacy and character of radio. Among many functions of radio language the communicative function is the most important one. It is not only the content, i.e. what is communicated, that is important, but also the mode of communication, i.e. what means are used to communicate. At the same time the high rate of voluntarity of radio receipt as well as disturbing consequences of hums and noises that accompany the communication in the whole communication chain have to be considered.
Television uses audio-visual language as a mean of expression. It consists of a visual and an auditive components. The visual component is represented by a picture showing the external part of objects and phenomena watchable by eye perception of a subject and depicted in a two-dimensional way. In television the most important element of the auditive component is again a spoken word, that picks up objects and phenomena of objective reality in terms, abstractions, and its place is irreplaceable. From the point of view of relation between picture and speech and the way of its interpretation in television broadcasting, we distinguish synchronous and asynchronous speech, and commentary without picture. Each of these ways of realisation represents specific selection of language means.
The words of a journalist are both in radio and television spoken, interpreted. From the point of view of preparation it can be improvised, partially prepared, or fully prepared.
Two basic forms in which the speech is presented in radio and television are monologue and dialogue. Both of them have specific features, predetermining their utilisation.
Keywords: speech - radio - television - communication - audio-visual
language - visual component - auditive component - spoken word
- articulation - diction - phonetic means of language
pp. 293-298
Jozef Vircik
The author in his study clarifies in general terms methodological starting points of a discipline - sociology of propagation - that is currently being developed. He emphasises that the sociology of propagation is an organic component of the mass communication science, and thanks to its knowledge fund it enriches all its parts in the process of solution of any problem that has occurred in the propagation practise. The author speaks about the present problems of research, especially the theoretical ones, but also the application of sociological results of research in the practise. The material presented in this study is more of hypothetical character than a definitively verified reality. He stresses that the scientific field of the sociology of propagation is shared by several disciplines, but the basic starting point is created by the mass communication.
Keywords: propagation - methodology - object of research -
theory of mass communication - sociology - function - advertisement
- scientific discipline
pp. 299-304
Andrej Tuser
The study deals with practical and theoretical considerations of a new phenomenon in the Slovak periodical press after the social and political changes in the year 1989 : implementation of advertisement (in the more narrow sense of the word) and both propagation and promotion (in the broader sense of word). Not only the expressive change in the content structure of newspapers and magazines is emphasised, but also the creation of new periodicals, where we can undoubtedly include advertisement (propagation and promotion), and free of charge press.
The research of agencies have proved that the highest ratio of propagation manifestations can be found in the printed means of mass communication, then in electronic media (especially television). The fact that Slovakia does absolutely not differ from traditional countries with an advanced market economy in this aspect the author supports with se-veral concrete examples.
With regard to the typological characteristics of periodicals (dailies, weeklies, fortnightlies, monthlies, universal, specialised press) the author provides us with examples of utili-sation of special types of propagation expression and suggests that it is necessary to harmonise the type of propagation expression with the type of periodical, in which a public notice or an advertisement should be published.
Due to increasing power of propagation on the media market the author recommends to carry out a detailed analysis of advertising periodicals.
Keywords: public notice, advertisement, propagation and promotion
- periodical press - typology - dailies, weeklies, fortnightlies,
monthlies - universal and specialised press - small, column and
square advertisement
pp. 305-312
Jan Lofaj
A photography is an effective, but to a great extent fragment carrier of information. It informs insufficiently, sometimes even little comprehensively. That is why it is accompanied by a text. This adds information to the picture, enables orientation in it and interprets it. The complex of relations between a word and a picture depends on a set of conditions (from specialities of both means of expression to the character of periodical). Basically, the text should be brief, factual, with a simple structure of sentence, it avoids foreign words, administration style, poetry and other strange elements. Its style and construction depend on the position of the photo in the journalist speech. A text accompanying a photo has auxiliary function and purposeful composition. Its existence without a photo is impossible.
Keywords: photography - text - relations - collaboration -
genre - subtitle - author of text
pp. 313-322
Pavel Rankov
The author deals with methodological problems that he has come across during the content analysis of the television broadcasting of the STV1 (Slovak Television 1) in the frame of the project "Television as a Mediator in the Process of Literary Communication". This study has been aimed to create a basis of accurate data on the position of the television in literary communication, and the results should have enabled the primary typology of interference and participation of the television in literary communication.
One of the problems is the size of a group on a selection basis. In the scientific literature you will not find answer whether it is enough to have a basic group of 20 weeks and a selected group of 34 days for a sufficiently representative content analysis. The research is thus based on 500 to 600 hours of STV1 broadcasting. Is it enough to pay attention only to the proportional representation of week days, or is it necessary to consider also some other facts (for example state festivals or holidays) for the selection of the days ?
If the television content analysis should, at least hypothetically, state the social impact of a certain broadcasting on the population, it must be accompanied by a sufficiently representative research of audience, that would consider also the structure of spectators changing in the course of time.
The content analysis must take into account also a so-called block context, what means that every television communication is an element in the structure of broadcasting, its potential recipients are influenced by previous programmes, and they will be affected also by the following broadcasting. More, the context is linked with the evaluation of television programmes from the point of view of potential influence on spectators in sense of support of to certain ideas, or resistance to them. The psychology of mass media is not able to answer what message an onlooker gains from the programmes of absurd or hyperbolic character.
During the quantification of data a researcher comes over problems with serial character of communications and periodical broadcasting. Extensive serial can cause a distorted picture of final data from the quantitative point of view. The author in his study calls upon a scientific discussion about suggested methodological problems of the mass communication content analysis.
Key words: content analysis - research methodology - context
of information in the television broadcasting - quantification
of gathered data
pp. 323-326
Eduard Chmelar
Karl Wilhelm Bucher belongs to the greatest personalities of journalism research. Together with Ferdinand Tonnies, Max Weber and Emil Lobl they had created in Germany a school that witnessed the rise of scientific interest in journalism. He had never been interested in foundation of special „journa-lism science", as it has been often incorrectly articulated. His theoretical statements were worked out from the economic base.
The young Bucher was mostly influenced by the sociologist Albert Schaffle. This influence was reflected in his first work on journalism from the year 1893. Bucher paid the attention not only to economic aspects of the press, but also to the history of journalism, to the ethics and education of journalists, and partially to the sociology of the mass-communication process. The majority of time he devoted to the problems of conflicts of public and private interests in mass media. He fought against the monopolisation of mass-communication means, for nationalisation of the press and for ensuring a full university journalist study. His opinions were very close to those of Marx. By the end of his life he devoted all his energy to the establishment of the first Journalism Research Institute in the world in 1916 in Leipzig. The results of Bucher's work have inspired many generations of scientists, especially economists, sociologists and culturologists.
Keywords: Karl Bucher - history of journalism research - journalism
development - economy of press - journalist education - press
reform - advertisement - journalist ethics
pp. 327-332