The Top Ten News: The Political and Economic Considerations in the Process of Gatekeeping in the Production of TEN (The Evening News)

ABSTRACT

This study tried to determine the political and economic considerations in the process of gatekeeping in the production of TEN (The Evening News). It aimed to understand the practices and motivations involved in the regulation of information in the production of the program. The Gatekeeping Theory of Pamela Shoemaker was used as a guide and lens in understanding the production process of TEN through the four levels of gatekeeping analysis. On the other hand, Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman’s Propaganda Model was used as a lens in examining the three filters that influence the news coverage and overall content of the program. The researcher used participant observation and focused interviews as methods to gather data. She utilized maximum variation sampling in her nine-day observation period in the news department of TV5, and used purposive sampling for the focused interviews of some of the key players in the production of TEN.

The researcher found out that the production of TEN starts when an event or issue is identified as newsworthy by the desk supervisors. The newsworthiness of a story depends on its relevance to the public, timeliness, or its human interest factor. Since the employees of the news department of TV5 are divided into three clusters— political, defense/security, and economy—there are different considerations, sources, Advertisers do not impose direct influences on the content of the program. In the first place, TEN does not have so many advertisers. However, the quest for advertisers causes the program’s executives to come up with ways to attract more viewers. They provide the audiences interesting news stories and segments, and give them opportunities to express their opinions and comments on certain issues.

The researcher concluded that the political and economic considerations in the gatekeeping process of TEN are interrelated. The concentration of news coverage to the politically and economically affluent sources, careful angling and treatment on news that involve persons or institutions affiliated to the station and its owner, and the efforts to increase viewership through its unique format are steps towards achieving one goal— greater profits to keep the program on-air.

The researcher recommends that studies on the TEN’s text should be conducted in order to determine the dominant ideologies that it propagates to the audiences. A comparative study on the previous and succeeding news programs of TV5 is also recommended to learn the differences of the programs in terms of content, format, and quality.

Rocena, E. J. M. (2010). The Top Ten News: The Political and Economic Considerations in the Process of Gatekeeping in the Production of TEN (The Evening News), Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

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Subject Index: Television programs--Philippines, Party affiliation, Television broadcasting