The Impact of Audience Measurement Institutions on Local Media. Study of the Catalonian Case

Abstract

catalaAquest article descriu els canvis en les dades d’audiencia de les revistes que formaven part de l’Associacio Catalana de la Premsa Comarcal (ACPC), com a consequencia de la transformacio del Barometre de la Comunicacio i la Cultura en l’EGM Barometre Catalunya. Aquests dos estudis eren elaborats per la Fundacio Audiencies de la Comunicacio i la Cultura (FUNDACC), una institucio sense anim de lucre amb una direccio controlada majoritariament per un patronat cientific, que tenia com a objectiu principal oferir dades d’audiencia i de consums culturals dels territoris de parla catalana, independents dels interessos particulars de les empreses de comunicacio. L’objectiu de FUNDACC era presentar una alternativa a les dades aportades per l’Asociacion para la Investigacion de Medios de Comunicacion (AIMC) i l’Estudio General de Medios (EGM), que es creien sotmeses al control dels grups de comunicacio amb interessos de negoci d’abast estatal. El teixit de mitjans locals als territoris de parla catalana es va veure molt afectat per aquesta transicio metodologica, que va provocar la invisibilitzacio de moltes de les capcaleres que en formaven part. L’objectiu d’aquest article es explicar quin es l’impacte dels factors institucionals i metodologics del mesurament de les audiencies en la transformacio d’un espai de comunicacio. EnglishThis paper describes the changes in audience data concerning newspapers and magazines that are part of the Catalonian Association of Local Press —ACPC—, resulting from the transformation of the Communication and Culture Barometer into the EGM Catalonian Barometer. These two studies were prepared by the Communication and Culture Audiences Foundation —FUNDACC—, a non-profit organisation whose management was largely controlled by a scientific board, their primary purpose being to provide audience and cultural consumption data in Catalan-speaking territories, uninfluenced by communication companies’ interests. FUNDACC’s objective was to provide an alternative to the data provided by the Association for Media Research —AIMC— and the EGM General Media Study—, believed to be subject to the control of media groups with state-wide business interests. This methodological transition resulted in the invisibility of many of the publications that constitute the fabric of local media in the Catalan-speaking territories and it considerably affected its results. The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of institutional and methodological factors in audience measurement on the transformation of a communication space.