The Dish Watchers: Free to air Satellite TV use on the media preferences and world outlook of viewers.
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Date
2009-11
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Satellite communication knows no boundaries. And when applied to television, it has been an
agent of globalization that has brought people and events around the world closer to one another.
This paper analyses the use and possible impacts of free-to-air satellite television on the watches'
media preferences and on the way they view themselves and the rest of the world. Using
quantitative survey and qualitative focus group discussions, the paper attempts to give a
comprehensive analysis of the individual audience as well as the social context of watching by
using the uses and gratifications and ethnographic audience research approaches.
The findings show that demographic variables such as age, gender and religion have their
impacts on the cognitive and affect uses and gratifications the watchers sought after from their
dishes. The overall analysis indicates that the audiences use the dish more to gratify their
cognitive needs than affect ones. It was also found out that in the face of the ever expanding
free-to-air satellite television use the state-run broadcaster (ETV) is losing its audiences to the
dishes. The focus group discussions revealed that the audiences of the free-to-air satellite
television seem to be watching the content they receive taking into consideration their lived
reality. Unlike the thoughts articulated in the cultural imperialism thesis, the watchers seem to be
active decoders of the content they receive from the dish. The rmdings also support the idea that
the imperialism thesis is overly simplistic, for as it is found out, t1le watchers seem to be highly
varied in their choices and outlooks. On the importance of the system [or them, many of the
watchers stated the dishes' role as their biggest bridge to get complected with the rest other world
as the best advantage they get. Their dishes have brought them global news and entertainment
closer to home at an affordable price.
On the other hand, the family use of the dishes seems to be marred with conflicts that arise due to
differences in taste. This, in addition to the impact of the dish as an alternative to avoid the
national television has led to the conclusion that the dish while connecting the watchers to the
world, seems to be playing a disconcerting role at two levels: it has become a destructing
element in family relations, and it is also disconcerting the watchers from local happenings in
the country.
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Keywords
Dish Watchers, Free to air Satellite TV use