DOI: 10.12731/wsd-2014-9.3-17 UDC 316.658.2
municipal newspaper in urban society
Zlotkovsky V.I., ZlotkovskayaA.V.
An aim of the article is a study attitude of townspeople toward activity of municipal newspaper «City News». Empirical basis for the analysis are the results of a citywide questioning of respondents and research by the method of focus group conducted by authors. The social structure of readers of newspaper, his difference from the readers of other newspapers, channels of distribution of print edition, the preferences of respondents and requirement, is analyzed in information about work of government, organizations and their leader's bodies. Suggestions of research participants had collected about increase of attractiveness and popularity of newspaper «City News».Analyzed the position of the municipal newspaper in the last local elections in 2013.
It is shown: a municipal newspaper to a great extent satisfies informative needs the least socially protected groups ofpopulation from number pensioners, elderly people, poor in material relation citizens, persons with a not high educational level, for people limited in their ability to subscribe or buy print edition.
A trend had detected in aspiration of editorial collective of municipal newspaper to influence on public opinion in the necessary direction for the government. However, it is not set the hard determined connection between informative support of candidates from the current government and level of their electoral support on local elections.
Keywords: mass-media; municipal newspaper; municipality; sociological questioning; focus-group; Krasnoyarsk.
What place do print editions (newspapers) occupy in public life of city? An answer for this question is given by the results of a citywide questioning, conducted in January 2007 and December 2010.
Researches are realized on the stratified multistage sample and represent the territorial placing of townspeople(borough, type of settlement in district: bedroom community, industrially-sleeping district, private sector) and socially-demographic composition of townspeople in age 18 and older. The sample consisted of 789 and 945 respondents, respectively.
Comparison of the data shows that the TV was and remains the main source of information about events and phenomena in the public life of the city (91.3% in 2007 and 87.5% in 2010). Print editions (newspapers) in this rating occupy the second place (40.8% vs. 35.0%, respectively). For the past four years has grown considerably Internet audience: from 6.0% to 29.6%, which allowed him to go to the third position. Popularity of the other information sources is markedly lower and ranges from 6.0% to 15.7% (radio, work colleagues, friends and acquaintances, the rumors).
According to official figures, in 2010 an about 600 printed electing is registered in the Krasnoyarsk edge, the zone of scope of greater part of which is concentrated in city of Krasnoyarsk. However, in the regional center operates only one municipal publication - newspaper «City News» with the founder in the face of the city administration.
In this connection large interest presents a study attitude of townspeople toward activity of municipal newspaper. Which is composition of readers of this newspaper and does he differ from composition of readers of other newspapers, doesn't he? How does a municipal newspaper come to the reader? What is in her does it like the townspeople, and what is missing? The research is devoted to the search of answers for these and other questions, conducted in December, 2010. At development and realization of the research program authors leaned against works of soviet, Russian and foreign scientists [1-8].
Initially seek the views of respondents on the main tasks to be performed by the newspaper as a source of information? When answering this question, respondents were resolved 13 of the proposed answers to choose no more than four (see Table 1, the data are ranked according to frequency of choice of one or another position).
The data obtained: respondents that the main task of the newspaper is to inform the public about current events (64.8%). In the second place, respondents consider - advisory services and the preparation of various useful advices (43.4%), the third - to inform the public about the activities of the authorities (31.5%). The Next positions is the protection of human rights (28.1%); helping people in certain vital situations(27.1%); education of the younger generation (25.1%); protection of the interests of society (21.4%); the promotion of dialogue between authorities and society (20.5%).
Table 1
Respondents' perception aboutwhich basic tasks a newspaper must execute (% from the number of polled)
To inform the public about current events 64,8
Provide consulting services, giving useful advices on home economics, health, education of children, subsistence farming, etc. 43,4
To inform the public about the activities of the authorities 31,5
The protection of human rights 28,1
Helping people in certain vital situations 27,1
Education of the younger generation 25,1
Protection of the interests of society 21,4
Educate and raise the educational level of the people 20,6
The promotion of dialogue between authorities and society 20,5
To inform the authorities about problems that matter to readers of newspaper 16,6
Enable readers to be distracted from everyday problems and difficulties of life 14,6
To formpublicopinion 13,3
Difficulttoanswer 4,2
Data of questioning testify to the mature enough approach of respondents to the purpose newspapers as a source of information. Its main task - to inform the public about current events. And in this position Krasnoyarsk reflect the opinion of Russians in general [9, p. 93] and journalists [7, p. 198]. Differentiating factors in this regard are the educational level of the respondents, their age and financial situation.
Further studied the social characteristics of the most popular newspapers readers. The list was determined on the basis of previous opinion polls.
To clarify the legal status of newspapers. «City News» newspaper is the local government of the city of Krasnoyarsk, «Nash Krasnoyarskyi Krai» -Government of the edge, «Rossiyskay aGazeta» - the Russian government. «Arguments and Facts», «Komsomolskaya Pravda», «Moskovsky Komso-molets» - private Russianeditions with regional insets. «Konkurent» and «Krasnoyarskyi Rabochyi» - regional editions with private ownership.
All these newspapers, depending on the size of the audience may be split into two groups. The first group consists of the four most popular newspapers in the city - «City News» (regularly read 12.0% of respondents, and from time to time -13.1%), «Arguments and Facts»(10.7% and 11.2%, respectively), «Komsomolskaya Pravda» (9.8% and 8.1%), «Krasnoyarskyi Rabochyi» (8.6% and 9.1%). The second group is the less popular newspapers. This is newspaper «Moskovsky Komsomolets in Krasnoyarsk», which continually reads 5.4% of respondents, from time to time - 5.1%, «Nash Krasnoyarskyi Krai» - 3.4% and 4.3%, respectively, «Rossiyskaya Gazeta» - 3.8% and 2.6%, «Konkurent» - 1.3% and 3.6%.
Social portrait of the municipal newspaper readers
Table 2 shows the social characteristics of these newspapers readers. Compare portrait of readers of the newspaper «City News» with a portrait of readers of other newspapers. The table shows the newspaper is reading mostly women (67.9%), whom age about 50 years and older (63.7%). Their educational level is lower than the readers of other publications.
Thus, the share of persons with primary, lower secondary and secondary education, 18.5% versus 7.9% - the average for all publications. While the proportion of people with incomplete higher education or higher education, 36.8%, and an average of the sample - 50.4%.
«City News» ahead of other publications by number of readers - pensioners (41.5% vs. 25.0% on average in the sample) and lagging behind in the number of employed people (43.4% vs. 56.6%) and young urbanites (18-35 years) (18.7% vs. 23.5%).
Table 2
Social portrait of newspaper readers (% of respondents in a social group)
«Arguments and Facts» «City News» «Konkurent» «Komsomolskaya Pravda» «Krasnoyarsky-iRabochyi» «RossiyskayaG-azeta» «Moskovsky Komsomolets» «NashKras-noyarskyiKrai»
Sex
Male 39,1 31,1 63,6 28,2 35,9 32,3 57,1 35,7
Female 60,9 67,9 36,4 71,8 64,1 67,7 42,9 64,3
Age
18-35 22,7 13,7 36,4 28,2 16,4 29,0 31,2 10,7
36-50 28,2 22,6 27,3 29,5 18,4 32,3 29,7 35,7
50 and older 49,1 63,7 36,3 42,3 65,2 38,7 39,1 53,6
Education
Primaryand secondary 11,6 18,5 0,1 6,8 20,9 6,5 7,6 14,8
Secondary special 35,7 44,7 45,4 32,9 24,7 25,8 43,8 53,6
Incomplete higher and higher 52,7 36,8 54,5 60,3 53,8 67,7 48,6 31,6
Occupation
Head 3,6 2,5 9,1 1,3 0,4 0,2 0,1 0,9
Engineering 7,3 3,8 18,2 9,0 12,8 6,5 14,3 13,7
Employee 8,2 6,6 0,0 12,8 10,3 16,1 0,0 13,7
Policeofficer 7,3 3,3 9,1 6,4 0,1 6,5 14,3 3,6
Worker 8,2 6,6 0,0 5,1 5,1 6,5 17,1 7,1
Housewife 2,7 4,7 9,1 5,8 0,2 6,5 2,9 3,6
Businessman 3,1 0,9 9,1 0,0 0,3 3,2 2,9 0,0
Tradeworker 12,9 14,2 27,3 21,2 11,3 9,7 14,8 17,9
Student 2,2 4,2 0,1 4,8 0,1 16,1 9,6 0,0
Retired 27,3 41,5 9,1 19,3 41,5 19,4 14,3 28,6
Intellectuals 6,4 8,8 0,0 7,5 7,9 3,2 5,7 10,7
Unemployed 1,7 0,1 9,1 1,3 5,1 0,1 0,1 0,1
Other 9,1 2,8 0,0 5,1 5,1 6,0 3,9 0,1
Incomelevel
Poor 19,1 24,5 0,1 10,3 20,5 22,6 20,0 23,5
Averageincome 48,2 56,1 45,5 51,3 66,7 45,2 48,6 50,0
Rich 29,1 16,0 54,4 34,6 12,8 32,2 31,4 21,4
Reader's municipal newspaper worst financial position indicators. The percentage of poor is 24.5% versus 17.8% in the total sample, the proportion of wealthy: 16.0% vs. 28.9%, respectively.
Distribution channels municipal newspaper
Noticeable dominance as part of readers of the newspaper «City News» elderly and poor people, as compared to other prints, explained the status of the news
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