Karen Ross – författare

*How has the concept of 'the audience' changed over the past 50 years?*How do audiences become producers and not just consumers of media texts?*How are new media affecting the ways in which audiences are researched?The audience has been a central concept in both in media and cultural studies for some considerable time, not least because there seems little point exploring forms of increasingly global communication in terms of their content if the targets of media messages are not also the focus of study. This book ranges across a wide literature, taking both a chronological as well as thematic approach, in order to explore the ways in which the audience, as an analytical concept has changed, as well as examining the relationships which audiences have with texts and the ways in which they exert their power as consumers. We also look at the political economy of audiences and the ways in which they are 'delivered' to advertisers as well as attending to the ratings war being waged by broadcasters and the development of narrowcasting and niche audiences. Finally, the book looks ahead to the future of audience research, suggesting that new genres such as 'reality TV' and new ICTs such as the internet, are already revolutionising the way in which research with audiences is taking place in the 21st century, not least because of the level of interactivity enabled by new media.

*How has the concept of ''the audience'' changed over the past 50 years?*How do audiences become producers and not just consumers of media texts?*How are new media affecting the ways in which audiences are researched?The audience has been a central concept in both in media and cultural studies for some considerable time, not least because there seems little point exploring forms of increasingly global communication in terms of their content if the targets of media messages are not also the focus of study. This book ranges across a wide literature, taking both a chronological as well as thematic approach, in order to explore the ways in which the audience, as an analytical concept has changed, as well as examining the relationships which audiences have with texts and the ways in which they exert their power as consumers. We also look at the political economy of audiences and the ways in which they are ''delivered'' to advertisers as well as attending to the ratings war being waged by broadcasters and the development of narrowcasting and niche audiences. Finally, the book looks ahead to the future of audience research, suggesting that new genres such as ''reality TV'' and new ICTs such as the internet, are already revolutionising the way in which research with audiences is taking place in the 21st century, not least because of the level of interactivity enabled by new media.

Comprised of original research in diverse genres and medias, Women and Media: International Perspectives brings together eight international scholars to explore key issues of the gender-media relation.

As the level of distrust and alienation between Jews and Palestinians has risen over the past fifteen years, the support for grassroots organizations’ attempts to bring these two groups closer has stagnated. Jewish-Palestinian youth encounter programs that flourished in the wake of the Oslo Accords now struggle to find support, as their potential to create positive social change in Israeli society is still unknown. In Youth Encounter Programs in Israel, Ross attempts to assess that potential by considering the relationship between participation in Jewish-Palestinian encounters and the long-term worldview and commitment to social change of their participants. Taking a comparative approach, Ross examines the structure and pedagogical approaches of two organizations in Israel, Peace Child Israel and Sadaka Reut. In doing so, Ross explores how these different organizations shape participants’ national identity, beliefs about social change, and motivation to continue engaging in peace-building activities. Based on more than one hundred interviews with program staff and former participants as well as more than two hundred hours of program observation, Ross’s work fills an important gap in the literature and holds significant relevance for peace education and conflict resolution practitioners.

This edited collection draws on and expands the findings from a pan-European research project undertaken during 2012-13 which was funded by the European Institute for Gender Equality and aimed to explore three key issues in relation to gender and media: women’s inclusion in decision-making positions within media industries; how women are represented in the media; and what policies and mechanisms are in place to support women’s career development and promote gender equality. The research looked at 99 major media organisations across the EU including public and private sector broadcasters (TV and radio) as well as a number of major newspaper groups. Researchers also monitored TV programmes (factual only but including entertainment genres) across one week and coded 1200 hours of TV. In addition to elaborating the results from 16 of the participating nations, the collection includes a set of context-setting essays and a summarizing conclusion as well as a reflection on the purpose and utility of gender indicators. It is the first major work to look across the European media landscape and explore both employment and representation, providing a unique glimpse into the contemporary media scene in relation to gender equality, including examples of good and less good practice.

This edited collection draws on and expands the findings from a pan-European research project undertaken during 2012-13 which was funded by the European Institute for Gender Equality and aimed to explore three key issues in relation to gender and media: women’s inclusion in decision-making positions within media industries; how women are represented in the media; and what policies and mechanisms are in place to support women’s career development and promote gender equality. The research looked at 99 major media organisations across the EU including public and private sector broadcasters (TV and radio) as well as a number of major newspaper groups. Researchers also monitored TV programmes (factual only but including entertainment genres) across one week and coded 1200 hours of TV. In addition to elaborating the results from 16 of the participating nations, the collection includes a set of context-setting essays and a summarizing conclusion as well as a reflection on the purpose and utility of gender indicators. It is the first major work to look across the European media landscape and explore both employment and representation, providing a unique glimpse into the contemporary media scene in relation to gender equality, including examples of good and less good practice.

This title was first published in 2001. This text brings together a collection of empirical studies focusing on the relationships which minority ethnic audiences have with and to media texts, both mainstream and minority. The media which comprise the focus for the essays include television, film, advertising, magazines and the press. The field of media studies has moved beyond the model of media consumer as passive recipient towards individuals and groups who are altogether more engaged, responsive and critical. But studies of the interactive media consumer often fail to consider the specific characteristics of "race" and ethnicity which come into play for minority ethnic audiences, and this book aims to add to the limited knowledge of the ways in which ethnic markers intervene in textual understanding and contestation.

This title was first published in 2001. This text brings together a collection of empirical studies focusing on the relationships which minority ethnic audiences have with and to media texts, both mainstream and minority. The media which comprise the focus for the essays include television, film, advertising, magazines and the press. The field of media studies has moved beyond the model of media consumer as passive recipient towards individuals and groups who are altogether more engaged, responsive and critical. But studies of the interactive media consumer often fail to consider the specific characteristics of "race" and ethnicity which come into play for minority ethnic audiences, and this book aims to add to the limited knowledge of the ways in which ethnic markers intervene in textual understanding and contestation.