Old people as subject and object in television. The study in Andalucía

Revista de Comunicación Vivat Academia ISSN: 1575-2844 Marzo 2015 Año XVIII Nº130 pp  103 INVESTIGACIÓN/RESEARCH OLD PEOPLE AS SUBJECT AND OBJECT IN TELEVISION. THE STUDY IN ANDALUCIA Agustín Olmo López 1: University of Seville, Spain. [email protected] José Antonio Navarro Moreno. Universidad de Sevilla, España. [email protected] ABSTRACT This work tries to reveal the double way in the relation between the elderly people and the television. It is known that they are big consumers because television has an important role in their free time, but is less analyzed how and how much they appear like object of news. Then we have analyzed all the news of a season of a particular television, - Andalucia Television named Canal Sur-, to evaluate how many times appear and which the approach of the topic has been. We have seen that appear less than quantitatively this age group is in the population, and have detailed the topics that are more common. We see that in the daily programs there are more in relation with political topics, while in not daily programs, they are more used like active subjects. KEY WORDS: seniors – ageing – television – higher – eldernews -old people LA GENTE MAYOR COMO SUJETO Y OBJETO DE LA TELEVISIÓN. EL ESTUDIO EN ANDALUCÍA RESUMEN Este trabajo trata de desvelar la doble relación que existe entre las personas mayores y la televisión. Se da por supuesto que son unos grandes consumidores de la misma, puesto que la televisión juega un papel importante en su tiempo libre, pero está menos analizado cómo y cuánto aparece la tercera edad como objeto de una noticia. Así, nos hemos centrado en buscar los programas informativos de una televisión 1 Agustín Olmo López: It combines the practical exercise of journalism with teaching. He holds a PhD in Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid and works as a journalist for Canal Sur TV programs specializing in reportage. [email protected] Recibido: 21/01/2014---Aceptado: 18/02/2015---Publicado: 15/03/2015 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15178/va.2015.130.75-120 104 concreta, en este caso la de Andalucía, durante una temporada completa para fijarnos cuántas veces aparecen y cuál ha sido el contenido de los temas en que intervienen. Así hemos visto que son poco tratados, menos de lo que cuantitativamente significa este grupo de edad en la población, y hemos detallado los temas en que son más recogidos. Vemos que en los programas diarios se centran más en su relación con asuntos derivados de la política, mientras que en los programas no diarios, son más utilizados como sujetos activos. PALABRAS CLAVE: tercera edad – envejecimiento – televisión – mayores - anciano – noticias – gente mayores 1. INTRODUCTION If we accept the opinion polls and research, our society is heading toward aging and in the last age moments, an important part of their activity is occupied by the time for leisure. However, one should not relate the age group of adult people (from 65 years old on), with a single model of behavior, since it is heterogeneous, as Requejo (1998: 147) notes because people are beings of transformation and not of adaptation. We can think of Paulo Freire (1997: 74) to say that somebody is not old or young depending on when he or she was born, but in terms of how we understand the world and the curiosity for knowledge. Human aging, pointed Diaz Casanova (1989: 86), is universally understood as a process of continuous psychological, physical and social evolution throughout life. Therefore, we cannot admit the stereotype of an aging understood only as deterioration or loss of power. Obviously, some physical disabilities occur, but it’s important to consider it as a continuous process of change when facing all kind of new situations. This change has been affected by technology; it has imposed a radical transformation that has passed from the “homo sapiens” to “homo digitalis’, as Terceiro (1996: 27) defined almost 20 years ago. Here there could be a negative discrimination as there may be a digital gap between the adult generation and the young people. Torres (2006: 20) points out that the sense of personal development will vary with generations who join the age group of the elderly (65 years old). What is defined today may not be valid for the next generation, since personal development is based on the reality that social interaction has built itself with the experience of each generation. The experience of those who came from postwar is not the same as the one of the digital natives. Therefore, when reflecting on the relation of the elderly with the medias or analyze the picture in the media about the elderly we have recovered the concept defined by UNESCO as active aging (2002: 12) understood as the aging process that allows adult people to develop their physical, social and mental potential in an acceptable manner, in accordance with their needs and taking care assistance when required. In general, the medias, especially television, play an important role for the senior citizens, as entertainment and as content and as agenda conversation and social patterns. It appears in all reports, but television cannot remain as a simple leisure and 105 entertainment market, it is one of the great cultural medias, as Medrano and Cortés (2010: 4) established. 2. OBJECTIVE The aim of this article is to highlight oversight that exists in television in general in relation to a significant population age group. Neither as consumers of television, nor as objects of its contents, the value of adult people is not highlighted; so it is not in proportion with the quantity they represent. Even in commercial television, this fact is accentuated when the senior citizens are almost forgotten, as they are not interesting as public because of the reduced purchasing power, and for the same reason, their participation as protagonists in news or series is less. 3. METHODOLOGY It emphasizes the current scanty material about the relationship between the senior citizens and the medias. And, as a matter of fact, for some reference about the situation of this kind of population, we had to go back to a number of studies published several years ago, with the exception of the reports from the Institute for the Elderly and Social Services (IMSERSO). After that we have worked with the statistical data and surveys published by government agencies like the National Institute of Statistics or the corresponding one from Andalusia to quantify the age group we are talking about and its proportion in the overall population, as well as, other sociological studies on their habits, as for example: the consumption of medias, especially, television. We have also worked with the documentation service of Andalusia public television to search news affecting this sector of the population, to see the content and the format in which they are presented. We have also contacted the audience department from the same company, so that they facilitate us the monitoring data of news programs as well as a classification of viewers by age. With all this we have grouped the news and reports by general categories of similar content, and we have studied the data provided as audience. 4. DISCUSSION 4.1. Population in seniors Most of the elderly people think that to be elderly doesn’t depend on age. The dominant response of the Spaniards is that a 70 year old person is aged, according to the 2010 Survey on Older People carried out by the IMSERSO. However, as it is often associated as threshold that adperson is considered elderly when he or she is 65 since it was the retirement age according to the recent reforms. If we keep the idea that the elderly population is the one who exceeds 65 years old; in Spain, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE), they are more than eight million people (almost 17% of the population). In addition, the number of very old people-more than 80 years old-has increased, being more than two million and a half. (1) 106 In Spain, between 1992 and 2012, life expectancy for men has increased from 73.9 to 79.4 years and for women from 81.2 to 85.1 years, according to INE. In its Short term Population Projections (10 years) and Long Term (40 years), it is seen that if the current pace is maintained life expectancy would reach 81.8 years for men and 87.0 years old in women in 2022; and 86.9 years for men and 90.7 for women in 2051. 4.2. The third age and content on TV The relationship between television and the elderly has a dual outlook. The first one, as great consumers of television, and the second one, as contents of it. If we start with the latter, there is little published. The most complete, although limited geographically, is a 2012 study prepared by the Consell de l’Audiovisual de Catalunya which analyzed the presence of adult people over 65 years old on television of that Community (TV3, TVE in Cataluña, 8TV, and Barcelona TV), and they detected that are not enough represented in the television discourse as 7% of elderly characters appeared in fiction programs, while in the information ones 10.3% was present in the news and 13.6% in debates and interviews, when in Cataluña it is 17.4% of the population. In relation to fiction programming the role they play in the plot, is mainly, due to their status as retired people or other family main characters. Also, in the study by Lopez and Cuenca on Spanish fiction series published in Comunicar en 2005, it is seen the projection of a stereotyped image of the elderly, with roles of expert advisors and family protectors. Three models predominate, the actors, partners or opponents. The first two traits coated with authority while as opponents their attitude is that of someone who has nothing better to do. To a lesser extent, since it was not the specific object under investigation, the Audiovisual Council of Andalucia in 2011 published a report on the presence of groups who needed greater protection in the news of the community public television (South Canal, its disconnections, TVE in Andalucia and 10 local operators), and recorded 595 issued information about third age, which accounted for 0.51% of the news. Canal Sur TV was the chain that issued more news about this age group (163). The operators spent 13 hours 47 minutes and 48 seconds to report about the elderly. In the White Book on Active Ageing published by IMSERSO denounced that the medias for the elderly are invisible and transmit in general an inappropriate image because it is analyzed as a homogeneous group, when it is so heterogeneous as any other. Besides, they are marked with negative stereotypes, as protagonists of events, people with poor health or beneficiaries of aid programs. This biased and topical image, they reinforce a negative perception of aging. 4.3. The third age as television consumers If the role as television content is below their percentage of the population, however it does stand out as major consumers of it. Analyzing the television uses we found a direct relationship between age and consumption. The television becomes an element of companionship and socialization for seniors. We note that, like the rest of the population, has experienced a rise in consumption and it is related to the great 107 supply of channels with DTT. Vaca (2004: 88) stated that in 2004 TV consumption was about five hours a day, and ten years later, it surpasses six hours in some groups of adult people. The 2006 CIS survey on living conditions of adult people showed that 90% of this population watch TV every day or almost every day. In his doctoral thesis on the relation of the elderly with television in Malaga stressed that their pensions could afford leisure items, they have a well established ideology in their convictions, they have a community life and civilian dialectic participation and, and its author Montes (2012: 235) indicated that their favorite formats are the television classics: news, old movies and contests, and they prefer the news on Canal Sur because of the incident in the surrounding environment. So, for the first time, we find a generation of adult people, with life quality, which is within the criteria for active aging and that the most part of their life has lived together with television. Perhaps for this reason, we see paradoxical examples in Spain, because while public television removed from their grills a certain cheap programming with low educational levels that reproduce outside social models, such as soap operas, other commercial chains have recovered them monopolizing part of this audience. In this regard, the society should consider whether literacy for adults is possible, so that these viewers have a more active attitude towards television and for that, nothing better than getting the same medias, as Aguaded (1999: 162 ) stated. They become the perfect tool for the learning process. An ‘online’ survey about the level of technological equipment in the elderly Spaniards’ homes, conducted by E-Media, conducted by professors from the Complutense University of Madrid, indicated that surfing the internet is already more a widespread habit among those over 65 than the fact of buying the paper at the newsstand. It also makes clear that in all elderly people’s home there is television while, for example, 22% of them lack access to internet. Regarding the consumption of medias, the television is majority (news: 89%; entertainment: 75%). Another study of the Rey Juan Carlos University in 2009 indicated that the elderly people watch television 4½ hours (270 minutes) a day alone or accompanied and up to 6 hours in the case of living together with other people. The percentage rose to 93% by summing those who said they watch it almost every day. In addition, 37% of those over 65 years old manifested they have two appliances in their home. The study not only found that watching television is a habit, especiall, among the elderly, but also, it follows routine patterns. Another study by the Consell de l’Audiovisual, when reflecting the diet in Cataluña, declared that if the population over 45 years old, consumed half 4h 40 ‘ of TV, 1h 10’ of radio and 20 ‘of newspapers and magazines every day ; in practice, the elderly over 65 spent the same time daily to the medias consumption (6h and 20 ‘), although the difference lays on that adult people devoted approximately 1h less, listening to the radio and surfing the internet, and this time was fully dedicated to watch TV. The elderly population also preferred to follow the regional and local television. In particular, the penetration of the regional and local is 23% higher in the elderly population than in the general population. 108 It is not a phenomenon only of our country. A study by the University of California San Diego in 2011, which involved 3,000 citizens, concluded that as people become older they spend more time watching television. As regards the monitoring according to the chains, while in 2004 TVE had the most aged audience followed by Antena 3, private television in recent years has slightly changed its programming, rejuvenating its average. The regional television, however, has remained high ever greater population. In our study we are aware of the amplitude representing the concept of elderly person and the relationship that the group with the media, because as ensures Ferrés (2005: 238) the same audiovisual product produces different effects depending on several variables: the age of the viewer, frequency of use, personality, ideology and the context in which consumption occurs. Well, in this group we have two clearly defined variables: age and frequency. Until recently it had not been considered for the elderly as an important consumer group that had to offer specific products and services, however, the report of the Foundation Age and Life (2009: 54) points out that is changing that position because the population is continually growing. Moreover has more free time, which gives them the category of potential customers of new products, and finally, a lot of new retirees accustomed to the consumer society is incorporated, in which, although their income will not be very high, they will become the target of specific advertising campaigns for them, because the advertising industry can not ignore that 30% of potential customers who would in 2051. 4.4. Situation in Andalucía Since the sample is confined to Andalusia and RTVA, comparing data from living in this community and country, according to the CIS in 2006 on the living conditions of the elderly, the activity that made all or almost daily was watching television (89.8% in Andalucia, 90.4% nationally), more than double the second activity, which was hearing the radio. In a previous report of the CIS, 1998 on loneliness in older people, resulted in more than they did when they were lonely was to put the TV or radio (28.4%), followed by walking (22.7%), and when asked about what activity had done last week, it was necessary to watch TV with 96.9%, followed, twenty-five points, to hear the radio or walk. The Institute of Statistics and Cartography of Andalucia 2013 data set as a population of 8,440,300 of which over 65 would be 1,320,700, 15.65%. The same Institute published a survey of time use in 2009-2010, and in the age group over 65, watched TV 95% on average 4 hours and 26 minutes (9 points above average) 4.4.1. Behavior of the largest in Andalucia in front of TV In Andalucia to audience measurement 1.333 million over 65 are counted (408,000 exceeding 75), the dominant profile women (56.57%) and the average low or low (nearly 45%) social class. Going to the Hearings Department of South Canal and based on the data provided by Kantar Media, specializing in measurement company, we appreciated that the 109 average audience of South Canal from January to July 2014, give a percentage of 20.1% of older 65, almost 4.5 points higher than it is in people. If we stay with those over 75 years, the audience would rise to 26%. The profile of users, women account for 21.1% and low or lower middle class 26.6%. In Andalusia to audience measurement 1.333 million over 65 are counted (408,000 exceeding 75), the dominant profile women (56.57%) and the average low or low (nearly 45%) social class. Going to the Hearings Department of South Canal and based on the data provided by Kantar Media, specializing in measurement company, we appreciated that the average audience of South Canal from January to July 2014, give a percentage of 20.1% of older 65, almost 4.5 points higher than it is in people. If we stay with those over 75 years, the audience would rise to 26%. The profile of users, women account for 21.1% and low or lower middle class 26.6% BEHAVIOR OLDER THAN ANDALUCIA FACING TELEVISION SHARE SCREEN% (Data 01.01.2014 to 07.06.2014) TARGET C.SUR TVE1 TVE2 T5 A3 CUA TRO LA SEXTA TDT TEMAT RESTO paying SENIORS IN ANDALUCIA DE 65 + years 20,1 9,8 3,2 15,9 13,5 4,1 5,8 21 4,5 2,1 65 to 74 years 17,5 10,2 3,3 15,6 13,5 4,1 6,8 21,8 5,2 2 75 and + 26 8,9 3 16,7 13,5 4,1 3,7 19,2 2,9 2 Men aged 65 and + 18,8 10,3 3,9 12,5 12,2 4,8 7,6 21,1 6,7 2 Women 65 and + 21,1 9,4 2,7 18,6 14,6 3,5 4,5 20,8 2,9 1,9 Middle class 65 and + 17,5 10,7 2,9 18,1 17,3 4 6,2 18,3 2,9 2,1 Table 1: Behavior of the largest Andaluces front of the television Source: Kantar media 110 Differentiating between the generality of television and Canal Sur, the data would be 65 to 74 years HEARING OF OLDER IN ANDALUSIA (ALL CHAINS AND CANAL SUR) - FEE AND RATING CHAIN TARGETS UNIVERSE (thousands) SHARE % thousands OLDER IN ANDALUCIA DE 65 + years 1333 100 344 TOTAL 65 to 74 years 925 100 238 TODAS LAS 75 and + 408 100 105 TELEVISIONES Men aged 65 and + 578 100 148 Women 65 and + 754 100 195 Middle class 65 and + media de 65 y + 452 100 109 OLDER IN ANDALUCIA DE 65 + years 1333 20,1 69 CANAL 65 to 74 years 925 17,5 42 SUR 75 and + 408 26 27 Men aged 65 and + 578 18,8 28 Women 65 and + 754 21,1 41 Middle class 65 and + 452 17,5 19 Table 2: Hearing older adult in Andalucia Source: Kantar media We note, therefore, that in Andalucia older audience is concentrated around the regional television with a family consumption oriented programming. This problem involves a wider audience operators, the low level of replenishment of that hearing and the decline of the value of units due to lower advertising sales potential as a consumer of this population, which leaves them out of business strategies advertising investment. So, sometimes, despite having high ratings, the value of advertising sales, GRP (Gross Rating Point) known drops considerably. This factor is crucial to commercial chains with advertising as its main source of funding minusvaloren this audience. If we detail the preferred programs over 65 years in Andalucia population, would be: 111 CSTV PROGRAM SELECTIÓN AND LEVEL HEARING PROGRAM PROGRAM HEARING % MISA DE ROMEROS 47,5 NOTICIAS 1 29,7 NOTICIAS PROVINCIALES 1 33,2 LA TARDE AQUI AHORA 28,1 MENUDA NOCHE 25,7 TOROS PARA TODOS 39 SE LLAMA COPLA 35 SE LLAMA COPLA (JUNIOR) 31,9 SALUD AL DIA 27,8 CÓMETELO 21,9 DESTINO ANDALUCIA 23,6 25 AÑOS GALA ANDALUCIA 28-F 28,2 LA BASCULA 19,2 Table 3: South Channel Programs and hearing largest in Andalucia Source: Kantar media t is noteworthy that the more often they are two non-regular broadcasts, such as Rocío Pilgrimage Day and Gala of Andalucia. Then two information (Noticias 1, and its Desconexión Provincial), and programs related to bullfighting. They also highlight the song contest and two presented by Juan y Medio. One of them, “La Tarde aquí y ahora” is not specifically aimed at the population, but engrossing to have a section of people dating, among which predominate the elderly. The other program whose main actors to minors. Above the average there are four spaces; two healthy: “Cómetelo “Salud al día”; and two related to the Community “Destino Andalucia” and “Este es mi Pueblo.” 4.4.2. Seniors informative Canal Sur TV Since seniors spend many hours watching TV, we want to include in this study analyzing image reflecting the information on this group. Canal Sur, is the Andalucia regional television. Your ratings around 10%, and currently does not have any program fictional own production, so the analysis will focus on the news. They are grouped into two “day” and “daily” categories, according to two criteria, the frequency and content. That is, not only depend on its broadcast frequency, but which conforms to the present. For example, Direct Andalucia is issued daily, but will be included in “non-daily” because its format is different from the news. “Day” programs in South Canal are six: two morning news (First Time and Good Morning Andalucia); a desktop (News 1); one night (News 2), another early morning 118 Fundación Edad y Vida. (2009): Los hábitos de compra y consumo de las personas mayores. Madrid. Senda Editorial, S.A. Rincón, O. (2006). Narrativas mediáticas. Barcelona: Gedisa. Terceiro, J. B. (1996): Sociedad digital. Del homo sapiens al homo digitalis. Madrid: Alianza Editorial. Articles in paper and electrronic: Ageing characterises the demographic perspectives of the European societies. EUROSTAT, 2010. Recuperado de http://polennu.dk/sites/default/files/Eurostat%20befolkningsprognose%2020082060.pdf. Consultado el: 14/10/2014. http://www.cis.es/cis/opencm/ES/1_encuestas/estudios/ver.jsp?estudio=7740&cuestiona rio=8954&muestra=14085. Consultado el: 06/09/2014. 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From the academic perspective has been involved with three universities: Complutense, Autonomous of Barcelona and Seville. It is precisely in the latter, where he works as an associate professor. Doctor in communication> thesis "Local Television in Andalusia". In his role as researcher has been linked to several groups, both at the University of Seville, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. In 2009, leads the research project "European Communication Andalusian Forum". In his professional career he has been a journalist in "Canal Sur" since 1990. This means it has carried out the design of programs or making documentaries. Among his bibliography is "Local television in Andalusia, the new communication". (1999) and "10 years of RTVA". (2000).