Paisagem midiática do sertão: um estudo das práticas de consumo de mídia do Canal 4, de Currais Novos/RN

Abstract

This doctoral thesis studies the local media consumption practices on channel 4 in Currais Novos/RN. The city, located in Brazil’s poorest and most stigmatized area, the sertão nordestino, stands out in the history of Brazilian media for being the pioneer in the cable television industry in the Northeast region. It is also peculiar because it is considered a small city – with an average population of 45 thousand inhabitants – with six television stations exclusively featuring local content. Therefore, it differs from the typical characteristics of municipalities considered news deserts in Brazil (ATLAS DA NOTÍCIA, 2021), in other words, that do not have journalistic vehicles and, consequently, significant press coverage. Thus, to understand the local television media consumption practices and how they occur via channel 4 in Currais Novos/RN, we developed a hybrid methodological path, which began with the selection of five family houses and, then, with the use of four data collection instruments: a) semi-structured audience questionnaire; b) consumption diaries; c) non-participant observation, and d) in-depth interviews. The empirical data gathered from the field research were articulated with our theoretical contributions, governed primarily by the concept of consumption (BAUMAN, 2008; BAUDRILLARD, 2007; JENKINS, 2009; MILLER, 2007; TAPSCOTT & WILLIAMS, 2007). In addition, the methodological basis was developed from questions about audience studies with an emphasis on media consumption studies (TOALDO & JACKS, 2013; WOTTRICH, 2017). With the analysis carried out, this thesis exposes six categories of local media consumption practices in Currais Novos/RN: use of devices, recognition of the other, place of consumption, self-recognition, sociability, and television media (local). The research reveals in 24 claims about local television consumption practices in Currais Novos/RN, confirming previous hypotheses, such as the predominance in the use of the television set in local consumption, the zapping effect (switching channels) throughout the program is null or low, and that local television consumption essentially takes place at home, in the nuclear family.