[ecrea] CFP RIPE@2018 conference Universalism and Public Service Media

      *RIPE@2018 *

    *18 – 20 October in Madrid, Spain *

    */CALL FOR PAPER PROPOSALS /*

    *_Universalism and Public Service Media _*

    We are pleased to invite paper proposals for the ninth biennial RIPE
    conference that will be hosted by the School of Communication at the
    University of Navarra and sponsored by RTVE Spain.The conference
    will take place at RTVE and the University campus in Madrid.

    The RIPE@2018 conference theme focuses on challenges and
    opportunities in achieving the universal service mission in the era
    of media abundance. The principle of universalism has four
    dimensions: 1) access and reach, 2) genres and services, 3)
    relevance and impact, and 4) financing with attendant obligations.
    Providing universal service is a legal requirement for PSM that has
    crucial importance for the potential of the enterprise to cultivate
    enlightenment, encourage social cohesion, and provide a fair, full
    and equitable range of media services. How practical is this aspect
    of the PSM mission today? What is outdated in our understandings?
    What remains as vital as ever – perhaps more so today? What does
    universalism mean now, and what are the implications? Can
    universalism be accomplished in each of the four key dimensions, and
    if so how?

    Older audiences still rely on linear broadcasting in most countries,
    while younger people increasingly prefer online services. The
    universalism challenge is especially pointed in efforts to reach and
    serve younger audiences. The core challenge is how to develop the
    PSM remit and transform public service in media for all audiences –
    and not only as ‘audiences’ per se. PSM must deal more effectively
    with identity differences and shared needs among people in
    multicultural societies. Moreover, while the national purview of PSM
    is still extremely important, international sources of supply
    proliferate, demand is increasingly variable, and regional pressures
    are growing within nations. All of this, as the costs for providing
    PSM are rising and revenue has become insecure. Trust in public
    institutions has declined in many countries and traditional media
    institutions are often viewed with suspicion and criticised for
    being too politicised.

    Empirical and comparative research is especially needed to clarify
    the parameters of universalism and renew meanings that are relevant
    today across the four dimensions specified above. The following
    topics are especially important:

    **

    *1. Rethinking the universalism mission in PSM *

      * What remains relevant from the historic mission, and what is
        outdated?
      * Are there significant differences in how this mission is
        understood across languages, countries and decades?
      * In the provision of universalism, what is best accomplished in
        partnerships with other media companies and cultural
        institutions? What is best accomplished by audiences as creators
        and co-creators?**
      * What are the implications of universalism for media policy today?
    **

    *2. The nature and variety of publics, and implications for PSM *

      * Does PSM strengthen social cohesion? If so, how and if not why
        not?**
      * How does universalism accommodate diversity of tastes and
        interests?
      * How are people using media today, especially PSM in the mix / diet?
      * How is PSM serving minority groups of all types – social,
        ethnic, linguistic, gendered, indigenous, immigrant, etc.?
      * What are the key challenges PSM faces in global media systems?**

    **

    *3. The nature and value of PSM services *

      * How much diversity of content is media abundance producing? Who
        is being served and who is neglected?
      * To what degree is PSM exceptional when compared with other
        media, and in what ways – quality, innovation, trust and
        credibility, variety, independence, responsiveness,
        transparency, accountability?
      * What is especially important for contemporary production of
        public service content? What are the continuities and changes
        that matter most, and why? And what matters beyond content per se?
      * How can PSM balance relevance for society as a whole and
        individual relevance among users and choosers – i.e., the
        complicated relations between general services and
        personalisation? What are the implications for universalism?
    **

    *4. PSM cross-platform publishing and distribution strategies *

      * What platform priorities matter most for PSM, and why? Do
        priorities differ across populations and platforms?**
      * How should we understand operational dimensions of universalism
        for strategies to remedy fragmentation, intolerance and
        polarisation?
      * How are audiences included, enabled and facilitated as producers
        and distributors of content?**
      * Which technology developments present the greatest opportunities
        and challenges for PSM in achieving the universalism mission?**

    **

    *5. Organisational restructuring and management in PSM *

      * What does the universalism mission mean for PSM strategy and
        operations in contemporary media environments?**
      * Given growing indications of an eventual end to broadcasting,
        what are the key challenges, complications and affordances for
        universalism in this shift?**
      * How is partnership operationalised in efforts to fulfil this
        mission today, and to what affect?**
      * What areas of managerial competence require significant
        improvement, at which levels, and why?**

    **

    *6. Governance, accountability and funding for PSM *

      * How does the legal construction of PSM enable and limit the
        potential to fulfil the universalism mission?
      * To what degree is ‘the public’ a prioritised consideration in
        PSM governance?
      * What is the impact of PSM contents and services in various
        countries?
      * How transparent are PSM organisations?
      * How can accountability be balanced with competitive needs?
      * How is the accomplishment of public service measured and reported?
      * What complications and benefits do commercial revenue pose?
    _SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS _

    Paper proposals will be peer reviewed according to these format
    specifications:

      * On page 1, provide the paper’s working title, the author/s and
        contact information.
      * On page 2 repeat the title but exclude author/s identification.
        Provide an extended abstract (max 700 words) addressing seven
        elements for evaluation (below)
      * At the top of page 2 indicate which two workgroups offer the
        best fit.
    **

    All submissions will be peer-reviewed (double-blind) by a scientific
    committee. The evaluation criteria are:

    1.Relevance to the conference theme

    2.Main research question(s) and what is new or original

    3.Theories used and general approach

    4.Research methods and design (for empirical papers)

    5.Core argument (for philosophical papers)

    6.Key findings and implications for theory

    7.Relevance for PSM management and practice

    Empirical research is highly valued, but we also welcome insightful
    philosophical, critical and theory-driven papers. Comparative
    research is very important.

    Please submit your proposal as a Word file at this link:

    https://www.unav.edu/publicaciones/revistas/index.php/cicom/

    (The file will be converted to a PDF file for peer review, without
    page 1).

    *Submissions are due 31 May. Decisions about acceptance will
    announced on 20 June. Completed papers are due on 1 October 2018.*//

    //

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