I’ve never been to Prague, much less to a country that was once part of the former Soviet Bloc (or Eastern Bloc). I’ve never been to a country, in all of my traveling, where the media isn’t completely up-to-date – or in a foreign language with no regard for the English language. I’ve never needed an interpreter to help with my research, whether in developing a survey or in conducting interviews.
All of that is about to change as I go to the Czech Republic in less than two weeks. I leave August 3, with the intent to continue research on the entertainment industry in a new light with a completely new perspective.
My previous research, if you look at my different London tabs (2012 and 2013), including analyzing publicity tactics for musicians at an international level and the development of relationships between journalists and publicists in the music industry. I also did some research for my theory of mass communication class this summer, which looked at aggression in rap lyrics and which is fueling a larger project for this fall semester.
A review of Depeche Mode in the Czech publication Blesk.
It’s my theory class which is guiding my research in Prague. I’m again approaching entertainment reporting, similar to the way I did in London this past May, and I’m comparing entertainment reporting in the United States and the Czech Republic. My goal is to use two theories, and bring those theories together, to understand two things:
- Does entertainment reporting in either country (or both) prime an audience to be more readily accepting of celebrities, musicians, artists, etc? Can audiences be primed to enjoy a certain song or movie by the media? Is this more prevalent in one country over the other? (Think of it like this: Does opinion – like a review – matter more in the United States or the Czech Republic?)
- Why does an audience read entertainment reporting – why do people visit certain websites or read certain magazines? When it comes to uses and gratifications, what are people looking for in their reporting and content? Are they looking to have their opinions reinforced, are they looking for escape – what is it that drives them to the content?
I think understanding where priming and uses and gratifications theories meet will help shine a light on entertainment reporting in both countries, especially as the two are at different stages in online growth and the importance of opinion pieces. It may also help future reporters to understand what their content is about and what it means for their audiences and how best to tailor it to them.