Eli Skogerbø

Audiences on the move? Use and assessment of local print and online newspapers:

Online media have contributed to transforming media industries as well as media audiences, globally, nationally and locally. This article studies the readers of local and regional newspapers with online and print editions and analyses how the audiences use and assess the two versions as information sources, identity mediators and arenas of the local public sphere. The findings suggest that although the younger generations are moving online, there are social and cultural differences between audience groups that make the transition from print a risky and uncertain strategy for local newspapers. It is generally the same sociodemographic groups that read both editions, except for one critical dimension: attachment to the locality where they lived was shared by those preferring the printed over the online newspaper.

Candidate campaigning in parliamentary systems Individualized vs. localized campaigning

The individualization of politics is usually studied in relation to party leaders. Using new data from the Norwegian Candidate Survey 2009 and in-depth interviews with 29 top candidates, in this article we study whether candidates in the Norwegian 2009 parliamentary election ran party-centred or individualized campaigns. We distinguish between the organizational aspects and the communicative focus of the candidates’ campaigns. Moreover, we argue theoretically and show empirically how campaigns can be localized but still party-centred. The analysis shows that there are low levels of individualized campaigning in Norway, but that there are differences between candidates, especially based on party affiliation. Moreover, the differences are first and foremost related to the communicative focus, not the organizational aspects. While candidates highlight the importance of localizing the campaign, the results show that this is mostly about ‘translating’ the national campaign strategy to the regional or local level, not about independent local strategies.

The Press Subsidy System in Norway: Controversial Past — Unpredictable Future?

The article discusses the origins, functions and future of one particular national regulatory regime, the Norwegian press subsidy system, and asks what the prospects are for this type of specific national policies? The press subsidies were introduced in 1969 with the rather vague intention of maintaining a diverse newspaper structure. Despite the fact that the system is politically controversial and has only partly worked to secure the existence of economically weak newspapers, it has been protected by an alliance of political parties until the present day. Nevertheless, political controversy around the subsidy system is increasing, both because the political justifications of the system need revision, and because the existing regulations are being undermined by the development of the newspaper structure, by the development of the media market and the media economy, and by technological developments.

Prospects for Expanded Universal Service in Europe: The Cases of Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway

In Europe, universal service developed within a public-service-oriented institutional framework. The historical conflicts that produced these institutional arrangements are still important for national policymaking. Furthermore, the level of technological development and integration in the European Union forms the context in which decisions concerning universal service are made. Our analysis of telecommunications policies in three small European countries - Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway - shows that business actors are well networked and press for a minimal definition of universal services, whereas those actors promoting an extended definition seem to be less coordinated and therefore less successful. Hence it is unlikely that universal services will be defined more extensively in the future.

Mediatisation and Regional Campaigning in a Party Centred-System

Abstract Election campaigns are central to political life as well as to the study of political communication and provides much empirical knowledge about the processes of mediatisation and mediation of politics. Most often studies focus on the campaigns featuring the national top politicians. However, most elections campaigns in Western democracies are run by party branches and candidates who rarely make the top headlines in the nationwide media, yet they are also dependent on media attention and agenda-setting to be visible and reach their voters. Relying on several data sets from studies of the Norwegian 2009 parliamentary election campaign, this study asks, first, how regional, mainly “non-celebrity politicians,” obtain visibility. We seek to unravel how the media logic works on the regional and local level. Second, we ask why it is important for candidates in a party-centred proportional (PR) system to be visible. Our findings suggest that we should recognise the mediatised and multileveled character of election campaigns in order to understand how media logics work below the nationwide setting.

Towards an Information Society? The Value of Media Production and Consumption

Abstract Many books and articles have been published on the transition from industrial society into a new form of society - the information society. In this article information society theories are discussed with reference to the development of the Norwegian media and communication sector. Four indicators are examined: the value of information and communication production; employment in media and communication industries, consumption of media and communication goods and services, and the degree to which new technologies appear to alleviate traditional differences between classes and social groups. The overall objective of the article has been to shed light on information society theories using various economic indicators. The analysis demonstrates that changes are taking place within production, employment and consumption of media and communication. However, these changes are neither as fast nor as dramatic as some theories on the transition into the information society predict.

External constraints and national resources: reflections on the Europeanisation of communications policy

Abstract The article takes a starting point in theories on the distinctiveness of “small states” and discusses the relevance of this approach in the analysis of the current changes in communication policies in Europe. In order to assess the applicability of these perspectives, external constraints on national policy-making are identified. These constraints, convergence of technologies and markets and the Europeanisation of communications polices work as levelling forces on differences across countries, and should, accordingly, contribute to the removal of national characteristics. In the second part of the article this hypothesis is challenged although not refuted. Drawing on instiutional perspectives on political and social change and data from an on-going research comparative policy analysis-project, the author argues that historical legacies and national characteristics may have a lasting and distinctive effects on the formulation of communication policies also in the future.

Out with the old, in with the new? Perceptions of social (and other) media by local and regional Norwegian politicians:

The role of social media has been studied extensively within a series of national political contexts. However, only few studies have focused on the uses of social media by local or regional politicians. This exploratory study presents results from a survey regarding the professional communication habits of Norwegian local and regional politicians. The main results indicate that while services like Facebook and Twitter have gained considerable popularity among politicians, the bulk of respondents find traditional channels of communication more important. Moreover, while the respondents largely acknowledge the interactive potential of novel services, considerable differences concerning use and adoption can be found among the politicians.