The Mass Media

& the Youth

Shaping Attitudes, Values and Thinking

A Media Nation

Television is King
96% of Filipinos have
access to TV; in Metro
Manila, its 98%
67 % said TV is most
credible information
source [PULSE ASIA]
42% of the poorest
watch TV daily; only
37% listen to radio
daily [SWS 2003]

Radio &
Newspapers
78% have radio
access but only 24%
said radio is most
credible information
source
Only 11% read
newspapers daily [SWS
2003]

Only 5% said print is

most credible
information source.

The mass media are a dominant

presence in young peoples lives.

No. of Hours Spent with Various Media

Medium Teens Young
Adults

Older
Adults

TV

1.9

1.7

2.4

Radio

3.0

3.4

3.4

Internet

2.1

1.3

1.4

Total

7.0

6.4

7.2

Young people use the media mainly for

Entertainment
Diversion
Lifestyle tool
Interpersonal
communication

The media and the youth interact

in complex ways.
The media are considered a
primary agent of socialization,
together with the family, school,
religion and peer groups.
The media are sometimes
considered surrogate parents
authority on what is right and wrong
and what is important; more
influential now than in the 1970s
The media are the prime source of
information on sex and
relationships.

The commercial media target the youth as

Market for advertising
Market for their other
programs

The media are a big business

Annual advertising revenues for all
media: about $1 billion $1.2
billion/year, more than the total
revenues of San Miguel Corp.
Advertising revenues account for
70 to 80% of all media revenues.
Media organizations are
increasingly integrated
(multimedia) and corporatized.
Media firms are among the most
profitable in the country.

Top advertisers in 2004 accounted

for over 50% of all ad revenues:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Proctor & Gamble Philippines Inc.

Unilever Philippines Inc.
Colgate-Palmolive Philippines Inc.
Nestle Philippines, Inc.
San Miguel Corporation
United Laboratories Inc.
Globe Telecommunications Inc.
Johnson & Johnson (Phil.)
Monde Denmark Nissin Biscuit Corp.
Jollibee Foods Corp.

The drive for ratings, which are bases for

advertising, defines content and style of
broadcast news.
News that has entertainment
value has drama, emotion or
celebrity element
Fast-food journalism: Bite-size
news, predictable, simple
storytelling devices.
Bias against issues, matters of
policy and complex stories
Stress on crime and showbiz

The view from the

newsroom

You will not feature a story

that you know wont rate.
- TV news
executive

The scramble for ratings also defines

entertainment programs.
ENTERTAINMENT THAT SELLS
Follows known genres: soap
operas, quiz shows, reality TV, gag
shows.
Follows formulas in terms of
character and plot
Prefers celebrity and glamour.
Doesnt require much thinking.
Caters to lowest common
denominator and doesnt divert
too much from what the
competition is doing.

Top 10 Programs (2nd qtr 2004)*

PROGRAM

Viewers

1. Star Circle Teen Quest Grand Questors Night

3.9M

23.4%

2. Marina

3.8M

23.0%

3. Sanay Wala Nang Wakas

3.5M

20.7%

4. Bastat Kasama Kita

3.3M

19.3%

5. It Might be You

3.2M

18.9%

6. Star Circle Kid Quest Grand Questors Night

2.8M

16.9%

7. Ang TV Movie: Adarna Adventure

2.7M

16.5%

8. Extra Challenge

2.6M

15.2%

9. Victim Extreme

2.5M

!5.1%

10. Imbestigador

2.4M

14.5%

* Source: AGB Philippines

There is a disconnect
To the youth, the media are
parent and companion.
To commercial media, the
youth are mainly a market
segment.

The unintended results

Young people tuning out

They are becoming more
interested in new media that is
more interactive (SMS texting
or Internet chatrooms)
More plurality and multiplicity
of media

Commercial media are adjusting to this

Using interactivity for
entertainment programs
Using multimedia
Using more innovative and
creative messages
Still, the basic message for
commercial media is: buy

The dominant media message appeal

to the youth as consumers
Advertising increasingly
targeting the youth
Entertainment programs
propagate a consumeristic
lifestyle
Global media = global
consumption society

But media messages are not

received uncritically

Greater media exposure = greater

skepticism
Messages may have unintended meanings
Receivers interpret the messages in
multiple ways
Alternative media provide alternative
interpretations and messages
Media consumers now have more choices
than in the past and much more
information is now more easily available
than ever before
Media literacy can help decode media
messages

But media messages are not

received uncritically

Greater media exposure = greater

skepticism
Messages may have unintended meanings
Receivers interpret the messages in
multiple ways
Alternative media provide alternative
interpretations and messages
Media consumers now have more choices
than in the past and much more
information is now more easily available
than ever before
Media literacy can help decode media
messages. It can also catalyze media
reforms.

Some tips on decoding media

messages
Who produced the message?
What is the intent of the message
producer? What does the producer
have to gain from the message?
What is the track record of the
message producer in terms of
credibility & public service?
How can the message be critically
interpreted?

The Philippines is an unequal society.

Income distribution is very

skewed:
Share of National Income (2000)
Income Group

% Share of National
Income

Richest 50%

82.2%

Poorest 50%

17.8%

The inequity is also in the geography.

Metro Manila, the capital, has a
disproportionate share of national income
Region

Annual
Income/Family

% of Total Natl
Income

National Capital

P242,345

26.7%

Autonomous Region of
Muslim

P 70,375

1.7%

CARAGA

P 82,008

1.7%

Zamboanga Peninsula

P 82,704

2.3%

Northern Mindanao

P 95,481

3.4%

The mass media reflect the

inequities of Philippine society.
All the major media companies are
in Manila, staffed largely by
Manila-based and trained
journalists.
Media ownership is limited to the
wealthy and politically well
connected.
Media content is largely
determined by commercial
considerations linked to
advertising by big companies.

Media imbalance

Perpetuates imbalances in power

and wealth caused by geography,
ethnicity, and class
Contributes to molding ill-informed
citizenry.
Makes policy changesand social
reformsdifficult. Media content,
with its emphasis on the entertaining
and emotive, rather than on what
affects peoples lives and what
needs to be changed, supports the
status quo.

The media will be an even more

dominant presence in our lives

Use the media. Dont let them

use you.
Be critical.
Tell the media what you think
of them.
Support alternatives that
provide the service you need.
Help build a media-literate
society.