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AudienceSegmentationandFragmentationinSouthAfricanMedia

RaashiedGalant Unpublishedpaper.UniversityofStellenbosch,DepartmentofJournalism November2008 Introduction Thebasiccommonfactoraroundthedefinitionsandidentificationoftheaudienceinmedia polemics,isthatitispeople.Itcanbepeoplewhoarebeingattractedbymediacompaniessimply forthemtobesoldinturntoadvertisers.Itcanbepeoplewhoarechoosingtopurchaseortuneinto aparticularmediaataparticulartimeforaveryspecific,orevennoapparent,reason.Itcanalsobe peoplewhoareconstructingorinterpretingaparticularmeaningfromthemediatheyareexposed to.Inallrespects,theaudiencecentresaroundpeople.Inallrespectstoo,thesedifferentpeoplewho areseenthroughthedifferentwaysofapproachingtheaudienceconcept,havechangedremarkably inSouthAfricaoverthepastdecade. Approachestoaudienceresearch Theaudienceisthebackboneandreasonforbeingofthemedia.Inalinearconceptionofthe media,theaudienceisthereceiver.Instructuralandculturalarticulationsofthemedia,the audienceistheoneormanywhodrawmeaningfromthemediaorwhointerpretthemediaina particularway.Inthebusinessofmedia,theaudienceareconsumersandconstitutemarkets.Inthe scopeofmediastudies,audienceresearchenjoysanicheareaofstudyandinvolvesitsownpolemics oftheoriesandapproaches(McQuail,1994:298;Croteau&Hoynes,2000:7). Threetraditionsofaudienceresearchhavebeenidentified(McQuail,1994:294),whichdetermine thetypeoffindingsanddatathatwillbesoughtforandanalysed,byresearchersinbothacademia andtheprofessionalmediaindustry.Irrespectivewhichofthesetraditionsarefollowed,researchers willstillhavetodealwiththereallifetypificationofamediaaudienceanddeclarewhichonethey aredealingwith.Thesetypificationsofaparticularmediaaudiencecaninclude,accordingto McQuail(1994:299): thepotentialaudience; thepayingaudience; theactualaudiencereached; thedensityofcirculationorreachofthemedia,whichincludesallthreeabove(inthe broadcastingindustry,thisiscalledthefootprint); theTotalaudience,whichisanewphenomenonapplicabletonewsplatformswith bothprintandwebeditions; thecumulativeaudiencewhichistheproportionofthepayingoractualaudience overaperiodoftime,forexampleoveraweekoramonth;andfinally, theinternalaudience.Inthecaseofbroadcasting,thesearethepeoplewhotuneinto aparticularprogrammeortypeofcontent.Andinthecaseofprintmedia,itrefersto thosepeoplewhoreadaparticularsupplement,sectionorcolumninthepaper. Inthethreetraditionsofaudienceresearch,oneormoreofthesemediaaudienceswillbe approachedforanalysisinaparticularwayandforaparticularpurpose.

Inthefirsttradition,theaudienceisdescribedandarticulatedinrelationtothesocialstructureof thepopulation(McQuail,1994:295).Inthebusinessofmedia,thisisthemostimportantformof research.Heretheaudienceisseenin(usuallydisaggregated)demographicfiguresthatdelineate whotheyareorperhapswheretheylive.However,itisnotconfinedtoexploringthesizeofan audienceorthereachofamedia.Thisstructuralapproachandmethodologycanalsobeusedto explorevarioustheoreticalissuesinthemediaincluding(McQuail,1994:295)theinfluenceof mediaonparticularpeople;theuniquechangesorpreferencesovermediaplatformsandchannels; theimportanceordesiredcontributionspecificmediacanmaketothepublic;themannerinwhich particularmessagesarecirculatedinaparticularpopulationand,therelationbetweenmassculture andsocialstructure(McQuail,1994:296). Thesecondtraditionofaudienceresearchisreferredtoasbehaviourist.Heretheresearcheris concernedwitheither,theeffectofmediamessagesonindividualorpublicbehaviour,opinions, attitudesorvalues;orwhypeoplechooseparticularmediaoverothermedia(McQuail,1994:296). Inthistradition,theaudienceistreatedasanactiveparticipantintheprocessofthemessagebeing sentandreceived(Croteau&Hoynes,2000:7).Theresearchundertakeninthistraditioncanexplore issuessuchastheappealoforresponsestoparticularcontentinthemedia(forexampleviolenceor pornography)and;themotivesforusingparticularmediaatparticulartimes. Inthethirdtraditionofaudienceresearchthesocialculturalandreceptionanalysisapproach researchershavebeenabletodeterminethepolysemicnatureofmediatexts,i.e.thedifferent waysinwhichthesamemediamessagecanbeinterpreteddifferentlybypeopleinthesameor separateculturalandsocialgroupings.Inthistradition,theresearcherswouldalsobeconcernednot onlywiththeinterpretationofthemessage,butwiththeactualperceptionintheuseofamedia platformwithrespecttothedaytodayrealityoftheaudiencemember(McQuail,1994:297).In otherwords,howtheuseofaparticularmediaisacomponentofdaytodayhabits,orhowthe consumptionofaparticularmediaaddsmeaningand/orrelieftodaytodayrealities. Audiencefragmentationandsegmentation Thegrowthinthebusinessofmediacoupledwiththeinnovationsinthetechnologyofmedia productionanddisseminationhavemeantthatmoreandmoremediaofferingnumeroustypesof contentareavailabletopeople.Insomerespectstoo,newmediatechnologieshavealteredthe traditionalconceptionofaudiencesasreceiversinthecommunicationprocess.Peoplenowhave accesstoplatformswheretheycaninteractwithmediainwaysthatturntheconventionaloneway systemofcommunicationintotwowayorevenmultiplenetworksofcommunication(McQuail, 1994:292).Nevertheless,theaudienceremains. Media(indifferentformsandondifferentplatforms)continuetobebought,read,watchedor listenedtoandthetypificationsofthemediaaudiencecanstillbediscerned.Theonlyprofound shifthasbeeninthedemassificationoftheseaudiences.Whatthismeansisthatwherepreviously mediaaudienceswerelargeandsharedsimilarculturalexperiences,nowtheyaremorelikelytobe fragmentedintosmalleraudiencesegmentsovermoremediaandwithlessandlessoftheirmediaor culturalexperiencesbeingshared(Croteau&Hoynes,2001:192193). Tewksbury(2005)observesthatinthecontextofnewsmedia,audiencefragmentationismost likelytooccurinthejointpresenceofaudienceandoutletspecialization(p333)[original emphasis].Withrespecttoaudiencespecialization,thisiswhereindividualslimittheirnews readingtospecifictopics(Tewksbury,2005:333)suchas,forexample,sport,economics, internationalnews,entertainmentandsoforth.Outletspecializationiswhereamediaplatform

attractsdistinctaudiencesthroughspecificcontent(Tewksbury,2005:334).Thislatteristheareaof mediapracticethatinvolvesnarrowcastingandnichetitles. Whilefragmentationreferstothebreakupofthemassaudience,segmentationisthemeansthrough whichthemediabusinessisabletopenetratethisdemassifiedaudience.Thereisnogettingaway fromthefactthatthepushtowardsmediasegmentationhasbeenmotivatedbybusiness specificallyadvertisersastheyjostletotargetspecificdemographicgroups,incomegroupsor geographiccommunitiesamidtheabundanceofmodernmediachoicesandplatforms(Croteau& Hoynes,2001:192).Inshort,mediasegmentationintonarrow,specialisedcontentservestoattract veryspecificaudiencesegments...thatcanbedeliveredefficientlytoadvertisers(Croteau& Hoynes,2001:193). TheaudienceinSouthAfrica SouthAfricaenjoysamature,highlydevelopedandrelativelydiversemediaindustry(Hadland, 2007:212)andthefullrangeofmediaproductsandplatformsavailableinanyadvancedcapitalistor postmodernsocietycanbefoundhere.Itgoeswithoutsaying,thatthecountryalsohasawideand diversemediaaudience.However,notwithstandingthepresenceofaFirstWorldmediasector (Fourie,2005:19),thetrajectoryofaudiencefragmentationandsegmentationinSouthAfricahave notmimickedthatofthedevelopednorth. ThebasicnarrativeofaudiencefragmentationinEuropeandAmericahasbeenthatsincethe1980s, withthespreadofcabletelevision,themultiplicationofmediachannels,theconvergenceofmedia platformsandagreateremphasisofadvertisersonthedemographicsofaudiences,themass consumermarkethasfragmentedintomarketsegments,clustersandniches(Croteau&Hoynes 2001:6161;GrowthStrategies,2004:1).Thefragmentationofthemassmediaaudienceisa relativelynewandgrowingexperience,fuelledsimultaneouslybytechnologicalinnovations,the marketingofspecialinterestneeds,andtheeaseofcontentdistributionacrosschannels. InSouthAfrica,however,thefragmentationofthemediaaudiencehasbeencomingonformuch longer.Apartheidideologyeschewedthecreationandimaginationofasinglenation.South Africansvariouslyclassifiedwereschooledondifferencesandseparatenessofeachother.The media,particularlythebroadcastingservices,entrenchedthis.AsRuthTeerTomasselli(2008:78) putsit: PublicservicebroadcastinginSouthAfricawasneverpremisedona single,rationalpublicsphere,butratheronfragmentationofpeoples, interests,publicsand,asaconsequence,audiences.Thisisindirect contradictionstooneofthefoundationsofthemodelthatis,theideaof asinglebroadcasttoawholenation. Hencesincethe1940stheSouthAfricanBroadcastingCorporation(SABC)haddevelopedand maintainedseparatelanguageservicesaimedexplicitlyatblackpeople.Thispolicycontinuedinto the1980swhen,eightyearsafterthe1976launchoftelevisioninSouthAfrica,twoseparate stations,TV2andTV3respectively,werelaunchedtoserveblackaudiences. Thesewerenotorganicmediaservicesinresponsetoaudienceneeds,butratherpoliticaldecisions aimedspecificallyatentrenchingseparateness;removingthemajorityblackpresenceoridentity fromthemainservicesand;ensuringthatblackmediaaudienceswouldariseonlyonwhiteterms (TeerTomaselli,2008:79).Similarlyintheprintmedia,thelargeweeklypapers,TheSundayTimes

andTheRapportmaintained(nowdefunct)separateExtrasupplementsaimedatcolouredreaders. Audiencefragmentationinalltheseinstanceswerefuelledbyracismandnot,asinthetraditional sense,toattractmarketsegmentsthatcanbeefficientlydeliveredtoadvertisers. Since1994though,awholenewimaginationoftheSouthAfricannationsansApartheidhastaken root,whileatthesametime,inthecontextofadominantlandscapeofcommercialandmarket orientatedmedia,thenumberofmediaproductsandplatformshasexpandedphenomenally. However,contrarytothenarrativeintheadvancedcapitalistcountries,themediainSouthAfrica havebeenbuildingmassaudiencesasopposedtolosingthemwholesale. Since2000,contrarytointernationaltrends,overallreadershipandcirculationfiguresinthe newspapermarkethaverisenphenomenally(Milne&Taylor,2006:50),duemainlytotheriseof thetabloidpressthatischaracterisedbysensationalismandfocusesonscandal,gossip, entertainmentandsport(LoweMorna&Ndlovu2008:11).SouthAfrica'stotalcirculationofdaily newspapersincreasedby38.4%after2000(Milne&Taylor,2006:50).AccordingtoHadland (2007)thisrisewasentirelyaccountedforbytwonewentrantsonthemarket,viztheDailySunand Isolezwe(Handland,2007:17).TheDailySuncurrentlystandsasthehighestsellingpaperinSouth Africaat450000copiesadayandareadershipof4.7million,whichaccountsfor15%ofthetotal adultpopulation(SAARFAMPS,2007).ItsclosestdailyrivalistheSowetan,whichhasa readershipof2million,amountingto6%oftheadultpopulation(SAARFAMPS,2007). Thesepapers,alongwiththeSon,TheVoiceandtheSundaySunmakeupthestableoftabloid papersinthecountry,allofwhich,exceptfortheSowetan,arrivedonthesceneafter2000.Theyall targetthebluecollarmarket,whichinthecaseofSouthAfrica,arelowermiddleclassblackand colouredreaders(Hadland,2007:17).Whatismostimportantasfarasthisreadershipisconcerned though,isasHadlandputsit(2007:17): Thefiguresandtrendssuggestthatratherthancannibalisethereadership ofothermainstreamtitles,thenewtitlesreachedmanyreaderswho previouslydidnotbuyanewspaperregularly....Inthisway,amass newspapermarketwasgenuinelyconstructedfromscratchinSouth Africa'srecentpast. Theothersideoftheprintsectorthemagazinesectorhasbeenthetraditionalspringboardfor audiencefragmentationwiththeshifttowardsnarrowlytargetednichemagazines.Thetrendsin Americahaveshownadropintotalmagazinecirculationofupto6%since1999andwhile hundredsofnewnarrowlytargetedmagazineswerefoundedinthedecadeupto2004,thetotal numberoftitleshaddroppedbyathirdinthefiveyearssince1999(GrowthStrategies,2004:1). InSouthAfrica,whilethetrendtowardsnichepublicationsremains,circulationfiguresshowthat themagazinesectorisgrowingatanunprecedentedrate(Milne&Taylor,2006:50).By2005, therewereabout350magazinetitlesdistributedinthecountryeverymonth,whilefiveyearsago, thistotalwascloserto13titleswithoverallgrowthjustunder55%(Milne&Taylor,2006:50). However,theturnoverrateoftitlesishigh(Koenderman,2006:18),asymptomofthefickleniche marketasnarrowlytargetedpublicationsconstantlytryandmapoutnewaudienceinterestsand segments.SoforinstancebetweenAprilandJune2008,consumermagazinesonthewhole increasedby2.7%withtheadditionof15newtitlesand10eliminations(MediaOnline,2008). AmongtheinterestingconsumermagazinestoshowincreaseduringthisperiodwasMove!,which isaimedatblackwomeninthelowerincomegroups(MediaOnline,2008).Accordingtothe

AuditBureauofCirculation(ABC),itsreadersincreasedfrom107700to153700(MediaOnline, 2008).HereonceagainSouthAfricabucksthetrendwithanichepublicationaimedatamarket withlowdisposableincomeandhencenotattractivetoadvertisers. Inthebroadcastingsector,whichisprobablytheinstitutionmostresponsibleforthebreakupofthe massaudience,fearsofaudiencefragmentationthroughnarrowcastingandmultichannal broadcastsmaystillbefaroff.InAmerica,by2004cabletelevisioncommandeda52%shareof primetimeaudiencewiththeaverageUShouseholdenjoying100TVchannelscomparedwith27in 1994(GrowthStrategies,2004). InSouthAfrica,terrestrialTVthroughtheSABC'sthreechannelsandtheprivateETVchannel, commandwellover60%oftheadultviewingpublic(Milne&Taylor,2006:43),withtheDStv cabletelevisionenjoyingasubscriberbaseofjustoveramillionandaviewershipofaround6%of theadultpopulation(Milne&Taylor,2006:43;Koenderman,2006:11).The70channelsithason offerishardlyindangeryetoffragmentingthemassaudiencethatterrestrialTVenjoys. CONCLUSION SouthAfrica'smediasectorisdominatedbycommercial,marketorientatedmediaproductsand platforms.TheresultisthatthedominantapproachtowardstheaudienceinSouthAfrican communicationresearchisonmarketresearchthatinvolvesquantifyingandprofilingthe consumersofmediaproducts,andoncharacterisingsegmentsofthemarketintermsofage,class, gender,disposableincomeandsoon.(Fourie,2005:28)[originalemphasis]. ThisyeartheJohannesburgbasedGenderLinksbrokenewgroundwiththeirSouthernAfrican GenderandMediaAudienceStudy(LoweMorna,Rama&Muriungi,2008).Theresearchprovides fascinatinginsightintoaudiencepreferencesaroundnewscontent,withthefindingsdisaggregated accordingtogender.Nevertheless,thereisadearthofcriticalaudienceresearchinSouthAfrica (Fourie,2005:2930). ForFourie(2005)thislackofcriticalaudienceresearchwillhamperanymeaningfulattemptto addresstheprioritiesofimprovedaccesstothemedia(includingnewmedia)andmedialiteracy, includingacriticalstanceaboutthemedia'sroleinsociety.(2005:28). Inmyopinion,criticalaudienceresearchwillbekeyinexploringthenewclassformationstaking placeinthecountry.Giventheoverwhelmingdominanceofcommerciallyorientatedmedia,the politicaleconomylogicholdsthattheproductionanddistributionofculture...takeplacewithina specificeconomicsystemandthisplacesconstraintsontherangeoftextualmeaningsmade availablebytheproducinginstitutions(Steenveld&Strelitz,2007:25).Severalissuesstandoutas researchchallengesinthisregard: Thecultureofconsumptionandhowthis,ontheonehand,pervadesmediatargetedat variousstratifiedaudiences;andontheotherhand,howtheseaudiencesinternalise, normaliseandreplicatethisculture; Theoptionsofengagementorresistancethatparticularlyworkingclassaudiencescan discernfromvariousmediawithrespecttodevelopmentalstrategiesaimedattacklingkey issuessuchaspoverty,unemploymentandlandlessness;and Howspecificmediaimposethemselves(negativelyorpositively)inthedaytodayrealities andmeaningconstructionsofnewmediaaudiencesinSouthAfrica. Andfinally,oneofthepressingissuesthatrequiresacriticalaudienceapproachinmyopinionisthe

manifestationandreproductionofxenophobiainspecificcommunitiesinSouthAfrica.Thisis particularlysointhelightofthexenophobicviolencethatsurfacedinthecountryinMayandJune thisyear.Giventhattheviolenceoccurred(exclusively)inworkingclasscommunities,who constitutethenewmassaudienceconstructedbythetabloids,theaimofsuchresearchshould exploreamongothers: Thecurrency,ifatall,thattabloidaudiencesmaygetforxenophobiafromthemedia theyconsume; Thedifferentmeaningsthataudiencesmaygetfromidentifiablexenophobiccontent intabloidmedia; Theperceptionsandreadingsthatimmigrantcommunitiesattachtotabloidcontent; and Theextenttowhichtabloids,ifatall,providetheiraudienceswitharepertoireof textualorvisualliteracytowardsanegotiationofantixenophobicpractices. References 1. Croteau,D.&Hoynes,W.2001.TheBusinessofMediaCorporateMediaandthePublic Interest.California:PineForgePress. 2. Croteau,D.&Hoynes,W.2000.MediaSocietyIndustries,Images,andAudiences. California:PineForgePress. 3. Fourie,PJ.2005.Towardslinkingnormativetheory,communicationpolicyandaudiencesin SouthAfricancommunicationresearch.Communicatio31(1):1332. 4. Growth Strategies. 2004. The Mass Market is Dead from Mass Markets to Mass Customization.Retrievedfromwww.findarticles.com.AccessedAugust2008. 5. Hadland,A.2007.TheSouthAfricanPrintMedia,19942004:AnApplicationandCritique of Comparative Media Systems Theory. Thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy,UniversityofCapeTown. 6. Koenderman,T.(ed).2006.SouthAfricanMediaFacts.Johannesburg:OMD&AdReview. 7. LoweMorne,C.&Ndlovu,S.(eds).2008.GenderandTabloidsinSouthernAfrica. Johannesburg:GenderLinks. 8. LoweMorne, C., Rama, K., & Muriungi, A. (eds). 2008. My Views on the News! The SouthernAfricanGenderandMediaAudienceStudy.Johannesburg:GenderLinks. 9. McQuailD.1994.MassCommunicationTheory(ThirdEdition).London:Sage. 10. MediaOnline.2008.ABCs:Theupsanddowns.21August2008. http://www.themediaonline.co.za/themedia/view/themedia/en/page255? oid=13707&sn=Detail.Accessed:August2008 11. Milne,C.&Taylor,A.2006.AfricanMediaDevelopmentInitiativeSouthAfricaReport. London:BBCWorldServiceTrust. 12. SAARF AMPS. 2007. South African Advertising Research Foundation's All Media and ProductsSurvey.Downloadedfromwww.saarf.co.za.Accessed:August2008. 13. Steenveld, L. & Strelitz, L. 2008. Making sense of tabloid newspapers: some key considerations.GenderandMediaDiversityJournal3:2025. 14. TeerTomaselli, R. 2008. 'National' public service broadcasting contradictions and dilemmas.In:Hadland,A.,Louw,E.,Sesanti,S.,andWasserman,H.Eds.2008. Power,

PoliticsandIdentityinSouthAfricanMedia.CapeTown:HSRCPress. 15. Tewksbury, D. 2005. The seeds of audience fragmentation: specialization in the use of onlinenewssites.JournalofBroadcastingandElectronicMedia49(3):332348.

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