"Fox has analysed the patterns of foreign and domestic conflict and accommodation that followed the creation and development of the broadcasting industries in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The book is well organised and Fox's style is compelling. Her work o
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ffers a fresh perspective for understanding broadcasting in Latin America. She identifies two clear trends in the countries studied. In those under non-democratic regimes, the media developed in a highly monopolistic fashion, while in those under democratic regimes, commerical broadcasting was subject to regulation in the public interest and grew within a more competitive context. Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela are cases where the media developed in a highly monopolisitc fashion because there was domestic authoritarian rule. In the cases of Peru and Argentina, there was no accommodation between the media and the state, therefore the media, although commercially operated, failed to develop a monopolistic structure. Likewise, in Colombia the state parcelled out the media among different forces, while in Chile the television channels were placed under the administration of universities. In Uruguay, there was competition among different media groups, none of which was directly linked to the state. The book is able to present an alternative to theories of international relations - which usually minimise differences among countries and overplay economic interests - and focus on the domestic developments that took place within each individual nation." (Media Development, issue 1998-1)
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"The purpose of the present paper is to investigate a spectacular mass media phe nomenon that occurred some twenty-five years ago: The case of a highly popular Peruvian telenovela Simplemente Maria ('Simply Mary'), which to this date is considered by many as the most popular television program of al
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l time in Peru and in most countries of Latin America. Our methods of data-collection activities in reconstructing the history of Simplemente Maria are described. We explore the reasons for Simplemente María's audience popularity and its several intended and unintended effects. One of Simplemente María's serendipitous effects was the formulation of the entertainment-education strategy in television." (Abstract)
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"Mass media campaigns can be effective at communicating health information to a mass audience rather inexpensively. Critics of mass media health campaigns often contend, however, that interpersonal communication is more effective at changing behavior. Conversely, interpersonal communication activiti
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es to promote health can be effective at changing behavior, but critics have argued that they have certain limitations such as being expensive and personal (perhaps intrusive), and that they provide nonstandardized information. The present study is an evaluation of a street theater format in Peru that combined the advantages of mass and interpersonal communication to improve family planning knowledge and attitudes. The street theater was effective in decreasing misinformation concerning modern contraceptive methods." (Abstract)
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