Media transformation in its Australian and international contexts: analysis and theory-building. This project provides a new perspective on historical and contemporary media by exploring the multifaceted character of Australian media transformation since the introduction of television. It examines the changing relations among media and the roles played by particular cities and their screen production facilities, infrastructures and creative processes.
Willing collaborators: Negotiating Change in East Asian Media Production. This project examines how media producers and investors from China, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are moving into flexible and innovative forms of collaboration. Focusing on cinema, television, online video and mobile content in East Asia, the study enhances academic, industry and policy understandings of the dynamics of regional media production. In addition, the project investigates opportunities and challenges for Austra ....Willing collaborators: Negotiating Change in East Asian Media Production. This project examines how media producers and investors from China, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are moving into flexible and innovative forms of collaboration. Focusing on cinema, television, online video and mobile content in East Asia, the study enhances academic, industry and policy understandings of the dynamics of regional media production. In addition, the project investigates opportunities and challenges for Australian and other international media companies. It addresses the urgent need to foster understanding of the media industries and cultures of Australia's regional neighbours in order to better equip the nation and its screen sectors to participate in the forthcoming "Asian Century". Read moreRead less
Border Crossing: The Transnational Career of the Television Crime Drama. This project aims to shed new light on the evolving dynamics of the global television industry in an era of post-broadcast production and distribution with particular attention to the television crime drama. As one of television's most enduring and popular genres, the crime drama has routinely reflected local, regional and national concerns about law and order issues. Through a series of case studies, this project plans to ....Border Crossing: The Transnational Career of the Television Crime Drama. This project aims to shed new light on the evolving dynamics of the global television industry in an era of post-broadcast production and distribution with particular attention to the television crime drama. As one of television's most enduring and popular genres, the crime drama has routinely reflected local, regional and national concerns about law and order issues. Through a series of case studies, this project plans to explore how national frames of reference in terms of policy and content are being negotiated in different production contexts within the global market place. The television crime drama may thus provide an illuminating lens through which to examine the impact of globalisation on the rapidly evolving television industry as it enters a new era.Read moreRead less
Toddlers and tablets: exploring the risks and benefits 0-5s face online. Children aged between zero and five are experiencing an extraordinary shift in media consumption. They intuitively swipe screens and press buttons on tablet computers and smartphones, using apps and accessing the internet. With an estimated five-fold increase in their tablet usage (2012 to 2013), there is an urgent need for research and policy development to maximise benefit and minimise risk. This project is intended to in ....Toddlers and tablets: exploring the risks and benefits 0-5s face online. Children aged between zero and five are experiencing an extraordinary shift in media consumption. They intuitively swipe screens and press buttons on tablet computers and smartphones, using apps and accessing the internet. With an estimated five-fold increase in their tablet usage (2012 to 2013), there is an urgent need for research and policy development to maximise benefit and minimise risk. This project is intended to investigate family practices and attitudes around very young children's internet use in Australia and the United Kingdom, and is expected to contribute to public debate and evidence-based policy in Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland. It aims to develop recommendations for policy makers and offers guidelines for parents of three age groups: zero to one, two to three and four to five.Read moreRead less
The Persistence of Television: how the medium adapts to survive in the digital world. The project investigates the way television program content modulates over time to retain audiences, even when the audience itself fragments across different reception technologies. It explores the substantial degree of stability in both fiction and non-fiction programming by considering a range of British, Australian and American texts which have been altered to remain relevant, been sequentially adapted to re ....The Persistence of Television: how the medium adapts to survive in the digital world. The project investigates the way television program content modulates over time to retain audiences, even when the audience itself fragments across different reception technologies. It explores the substantial degree of stability in both fiction and non-fiction programming by considering a range of British, Australian and American texts which have been altered to remain relevant, been sequentially adapted to reflect contemporary preferences, and been made as local versions of international formats. It uses empirical and qualitative methods to compare programs from the beginning of mass broadcast television in Australia, the UK and the US. Outcomes will include a scholarly monograph and several articles.Read moreRead less
Effects of pornography on audiences. This project aims to improve understanding of pornography’s effects on its audiences. Academic knowledge on this topic is silo-ed and often contradictory across humanities and social science disciplines. This project will synthesise these discrete traditions to produce a shared paradigm, vocabulary and evidence base so these disciplines can share their findings. The project will also provide a replicable case study of translation between humanities and social ....Effects of pornography on audiences. This project aims to improve understanding of pornography’s effects on its audiences. Academic knowledge on this topic is silo-ed and often contradictory across humanities and social science disciplines. This project will synthesise these discrete traditions to produce a shared paradigm, vocabulary and evidence base so these disciplines can share their findings. The project will also provide a replicable case study of translation between humanities and social sciences data archives. Making this knowledge comprehensible to policymakers, educators and parents is expected to improve public debate and policy outcomes about pornography, and aims to improve the healthy sexual development of young Australians.Read moreRead less
Mobile Culture: A Biography of the Mobile Phone. The Mobile Culture project will investigate the mobile phone as cultural object, investigating its history, cultural production, consumption, political economy and regulation. It will contribute new knowledge on the culture of a widely used new media technology, mobile communications. The study will provide fresh insights into central theoretical questions in cultural and media studies, such as the relationship between culture and technology, and ....Mobile Culture: A Biography of the Mobile Phone. The Mobile Culture project will investigate the mobile phone as cultural object, investigating its history, cultural production, consumption, political economy and regulation. It will contribute new knowledge on the culture of a widely used new media technology, mobile communications. The study will provide fresh insights into central theoretical questions in cultural and media studies, such as the relationship between culture and technology, and the use of political economy for cultural analysis. The study will devise innovative methods for new media study. Outcomes include a two-volume book, and workshop proceedings on mobile consumption, use, and policy.Read moreRead less
Talkback radio in Australia: Content, audience and influence. This project is the most comprehensive study of talkback radio in Australia to date. It examines the content, influence and consumption of the programs as well as presenting a detailed investigation of the processes of production. Using evidence drawn from two high profile commercial sector programs and one ABC program, it will set out to explain the audience's interest in the format, the relations between the host and the callers, an ....Talkback radio in Australia: Content, audience and influence. This project is the most comprehensive study of talkback radio in Australia to date. It examines the content, influence and consumption of the programs as well as presenting a detailed investigation of the processes of production. Using evidence drawn from two high profile commercial sector programs and one ABC program, it will set out to explain the audience's interest in the format, the relations between the host and the callers, and the social, political and cultural placement of the format. The outcomes will be published in a series of articles in refereed journals and a monograph.Read moreRead less
Struggling for Possession: The Control and Use of Online Media Sport. Policy debates about the private ownership of sport content by media companies and sports organisations, and citizens' rights of access to content in new media environments, are characterised by considerable regulatory and legal uncertainty. This Project will identify and analyse the sources of this uncertainty, and provide informed, evidence-based policy direction. There is a pressing need for such evidence, with regulatory a ....Struggling for Possession: The Control and Use of Online Media Sport. Policy debates about the private ownership of sport content by media companies and sports organisations, and citizens' rights of access to content in new media environments, are characterised by considerable regulatory and legal uncertainty. This Project will identify and analyse the sources of this uncertainty, and provide informed, evidence-based policy direction. There is a pressing need for such evidence, with regulatory authorities already expressing concern over the locking up of exclusive content rights by major media companies. This Project also contributes to the conceptual development of Communication and Media Studies in a key area of national popular culture - sport.Read moreRead less
The Emergence, Development and Transformation of Media Ratings Conventions and Methodologies in Australia, 1930-2008. The media industry depends upon ratings. However, the ability of audience measurement companies to predict audience behaviour is in decline. Investigation into the conventions that govern the relationship between measurement and markets is now urgent. This project provides the first historical study of media ratings in Australia and internationally, the companies providing rat ....The Emergence, Development and Transformation of Media Ratings Conventions and Methodologies in Australia, 1930-2008. The media industry depends upon ratings. However, the ability of audience measurement companies to predict audience behaviour is in decline. Investigation into the conventions that govern the relationship between measurement and markets is now urgent. This project provides the first historical study of media ratings in Australia and internationally, the companies providing ratings and the media organisations using them. The study provides a detailed analysis of the emergence and transformation of media ratings in order to assist in the development of new practices and to promote better public and media industry understanding of the character, productivity, limits and challenges facing ratings conventions.
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