Romania

[RO] Studies and Research in the Audiovisual Field

IRIS 2005-1:1/35

Mariana Stoican

Journalist, Bucharest

The Consiliul Na tional al Audiovizualului (National Audiovisual Council ­ CNA), the Romanian regulatory body for electronic media, carried out three studies in the audiovisual field during 2004. Published in three volumes, the three studies dealt with issues including the electronic media landscape in Romania in the European context and various specific topics such as the portrayal of drug, alcohol and tobacco use in broadcasting. The project was financed by the European Union as a means of monitoring the adoption and application of the acquis communautaire in the electronic media field. The study covered in the first volume aimed, by questioning 8,000 people, to achieve a more accurate overview of the segmentation of radio and TV audiences in Romania, including viewing and listening habits and education levels. It was therefore possible to produce a "photofit" picture of the average Romanian listener/viewer. The second volume describes the possible consequences of the effect that broadcasting has on minors, compared to other cultural and educational services. Eight thousand young people aged between 6 and 14 were questioned, together with parents of children from this age group. The main purpose of this study was to discover what role parents play in young people's media consumption and how minors can be protected from the potentially negative influences of broadcasting. The third CNA study looked at the influence of the media on the political opinions and voting behaviour of the Romanian population. Five thousand people gave their views on the importance they attach to general political coverage and election campaigns in the media. Attention was paid to the impact on individuals (opinions, portrayals, motivations) and on society as a whole (social and communicative influence, dominant opinions in society, etc).