Radwa ElGabry

Abstract

The introduction of the political satire program "Al-Bernameg" (The Program) in Egypt has created massive discussion in the media related to the level of acceptance of Egyptians to this new format and its effects on the audience. Satirical programming has been a key part of political discourse in Western culture for some time and a part of global art for centuries. It has also been established that such programming is of particular influence on Western voters, who turn to this nature of programming before others in order to gather political information. This study sheds the light on the effects of this programming format on the Egyptian audience as well as the perception of the viewers of its content. The research relies on the uses and gratification theory as a starting point to analyze the heavy consumption of the program in a very short time and the cultivation theory to explore the effects of watching the program on the perception of the audience regarding the political content presented. A survey targeting the viewers of the show was conducted among a purposive sample of Egyptians (310 participants) to analyze the reasons for watching the program, frequency of watching and the effect of the content on their perception of the political news and political engagement and participation in Egypt. The findings of the survey explained the reasons for the audience usage of the program and their perception. In addition, the results of the survey indicated that the program has a major influence on the audience regarding their perception of the political situation; however, it does not affect their political engagement or participation. Viewers in Egypt perceive the program as an entertainment show, yet they also consider it as a source of news and become affected by its presentation of the political situation. The more the viewer watches the show, especially if he is not exposed to other sources of news, the more he becomes affected by its cynical presentation.

Department

Journalism & Mass Communication Department

Degree Name

MA in Journalism & Mass Communication

Graduation Date

6-1-2014

Submission Date

May 2014

First Advisor

Hamdy, Naila

Committee Member 1

Ismail, Amani

Committee Member 2

Al-Mutaafy, Marwa

Extent

108 p,

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Library of Congress Subject Heading 1

Political satire.

Library of Congress Subject Heading 2

Television and politics -- Egypt.

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

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