[ecrea] Comunicazioni sociali - Call for papers - Commercial TV

Call for papers

MOVING AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS
The commercialization of television systems in Europe and its consequences

Comunicazioni sociali, I, 2013
Monographic issue; Accepted languages: English, Italian, and French
Issue Co-editors: Massimo Scaglioni, Luca Barra (Università Cattolica di Milano)

One of the most compelling and current challenges for television studies is to work on the
edge of national and international boundaries. Such work must attempt to scrutinize the
historical evolutions of the different television national systems in the light of broader,
supranational trends (Bignell-Fickers 2008; Bourdon 2011). Following a comparative
approach, and in order to better understand the developments of European television, the
focus on commercialization is without any doubt productive: the entry of private and adbased
players in TV national markets is a major phenomenon that has affected European
broadcasting systems at different times and speeds, with complex consequences. Starting
from the strong tradition of public service broadcasting and, in many cases, of monopoly,
European television has experienced the birth of commercial TV at different points of its
history, from the first experiments in the UK during the Fifties until the articulated – and
often contradictory – process of deregulation and “liberalization” that occurred in many
continental countries from the Seventies, as well – in Eastern Europe – along the Nineties.

This special issue of Comunicazioni sociali will analyze the gradual diffusion of several models
of commercial TV throughout the decades into different nations across Europe. It aims to
provide readers with an outline of the implications of commercialization at the social,
cultural, institutional, political, textual and technological level, through case studies of
individual nations or regions, comparative studies or theoretical analyses.

Abstracts are invited for contributions to a special issue that will seek to further our
understanding of the historical dynamics of TV commercialization that have differently
shaped broadcasting systems in various European contexts: similarities and differences will
emerge, contributing to a deeper comprehension both of European television histories and
of the historical logics and developments of the medium. These can include:
- Early commercial broadcasting in Europe, both as lasting or “experimental” experiences;
- Definitions and implications of TV commercialization;
- Consequences of TV commercialization on a social and cultural level;
- Consequences of TV commercialization on a political and economical level;
- TV commercialization and changes in the logics of broadcasting;
- TV commercialization and production practices;
- TV commercialization and scheduling practices;
- TV commercialization and genre (re)definitions;
- TV commercialization and textual evolutions;
- TV commercialization and its consequences on the broader media system;
- TV commercialization and consumption practices;
- TV commercialization and changes in audience conceptualization;
- Theoretical approaches on TV commercialization;
- Original research findings on single case histories and nations.

Paper proposals (250-300 words, in English, French or Italian), along with short
biographical notes and key bibliographical references, are due by October 31th, 2012.
Submissions should be sent to both the editors, Massimo Scaglioni (massimo.scaglioni@
unicatt.it) and Luca Barra ((luca.barra /at/ unicatt.it)).
Notifications of acceptance will be sent no later than November 15th, 2012.
Accepted articles (3500-5000 words, in English, French or Italian) will be due on January
31th, 2013, and will be subject to a double-blind peer review. The issue of Comunicazioni
sociali will be published in April/May 2013.

About Comunicazioni sociali
Founded in 1973, Comunicazioni sociali is a journal that features both monographic and miscellaneous
issues, dealing with critical questions pertaining to studies of the performing arts, film, radio,
television, journalism, advertising and new media. Founded on an interdisciplinary approach, the
journal has since its inception promoted rigorous debates on media content, representation and
consumption in terms of theory, history and critical analysis. The journal has enhanced exchanges
with academic institutions, research centres, European networks and prominent scholars, by
hosting both theoretical elaborations as well as empirical findings. Since 2009, the journal has
adopted the double-blind peer review system and enhanced the international profile of its editorial
board, including scholars from European and extra-European countries.


----------------
ECREA-Mailing list
----------------
This mailing list is a free service from ECREA.
---
To unsubscribe, please visit http://www.ecrea.eu/mailinglist
---
ECREA - European Communication Research and Education Association
Postal address:
ECREA
Université Libre de Bruxelles
c/o Dept. of Information and Communication Sciences
CP123, avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, b-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
Email: (info /at/ ecrea.eu)
URL: http://www.ecrea.eu
----------------