BILI, BILI, BALITA?: A STUDY ON HOW COVERT ADVERTISING COMMODIFIES NEWS IN THE RADIO NEWS PROGRAM, “SAKSI SA DOBOL B” OF DZBB

ABSTRACT

The study aimed to find out how radio news is commodified as manifested in the radio news program Saksi sa Dobol B, aired over DZBB, the flagship station of Radio GMA Network, Inc.

To find out how news in Saksi sa Dobol B are commodified by covert advertising, the researcher performed content analysis and textual analysis of eighteen episodes of the said radio news program and conducted interviews of the pertinent personnel of the station.

Herman and Chomsky’s Propaganda Model was utilized as the study’s guide. The theory states that the media are firmly embedded in the market system. Furthermore, media obtains its revenues from profit-seeking entities which are the advertisers and these entities have a share of power over the flow of information. The Social Responsibility Theory was also used in the study as a lens. It states that the press should set good standards of media performance and it is accountable to carry out mass communication functions in a society. The research employed the following theories in order to further explicate the phenomenon being studied which is covert advertising in radio news programs.

The researcher identified that covert advertising, wherein the advertisements and product plugs are creatively incorporated to the script to become a part of the program content, is practiced by the said radio news program. With this, it can be inferred that advertisements are part and parcel of the radio news program Saksi sa Dobol B.

Lastly, the researcher explained how covert advertising influences the credibility of radio news program and its content. In Saksi sa Dobol B, the anchors incorporate product plugs into the news reports as proven by its excessive commercial loads. The researcher observed that the news anchors’ efforts in exerting credibility while delivering the news and at the same time advertising a product pose a problem. It blurs the line between the concept of objectivity and credibility of news content vis-à-vis advertising messages. Furthermore, this creates an impression that news is being sold.

The researcher concluded that advertising greatly affects and shapes a radio news program. The proofs of commodification in the said radio news program are the following: (1) commercial messages are creatively incorporated into the news content and (2) several news stories are not reported in order to give way to advertising and commercial messages.

For future studies, the researcher recommends the use of Gatekeeping Theory to understand how a network chooses and selects a program content and which program content to air and not to air. Moreover, other methods such as participant observation can be utilized to study the production and management processes of DZBB and how they shape the news. This recommended study aims to raise awareness and criticalness among both the audiences and media practitioners so that they will know that such a phenomenon exists.

Bayona, H. (2010). Bili, bili, balita?: a study on how cover advertising commodifies news in the radio news program, “Saksi sa Dobol B” of DZBB. Unpublished undergraduate thesis, University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication.

Subject Index: Advertisements, Radio programs--Philippines, Radio broadcasting, Radio broadcasters