Research - How to cite this article – referees' reports – scheduling – metadata – PDF – Creative Commons DOI: 10.4185/RLCS-65-2010-888-126-145-EN – ISSN 1138 - 5820 – RLCS # 65 – 2010 Analysing the development of TV news programmes: from information to dramatization Begoña Gutiérrez San Miguel, Ph.D. [C.V. ] Professor at the Department of Sociology and Communications University of Salamanca, US, Spain - bgsm@usal.es Maribel Rodríguez Fidalgo, Ph.D. [C.V. ] Professor at the Department of Sociology and Communications University of Salamanca, US, Spain - mrfidalgo@usal.es María del Camino Gallego Santos [C.V. ] Ph.D. Student at the Department of Sociology and Communications University of Salamanca, US, Spain - mcaminogs@usal.es Abstract: The TV news programme is the backbone of all television networks, be they national, regional or local. These types of programmes have been changing over the time. The essence of the information is being modified and has adopted a new format. Based on these principles, this research analyses the evolution of the language used on the Spanish TV news programmes, from their origins until today. This research has been carried out in three different phases: late 1980s, the 1990s and recent years. These stages were thoroughly examined through surveys applied to representative samples of the population. The results showed that TV news programmes have been acquiring a changing narrative style throughout time: they began using an “objective” narrative, followed by a mediated type, and finally dramatized narrative which uses shocking visual content and aims to achieve audience’s sensibilization and identification with news’ protagonists. The spectacularization of information has become the identitary feature of the current TV news programmes as a response to the need of reaching higher audience ratings. Keywords: Television; news programmes; news treatment; language development; spectacularization of information; manipulation. Summary: 1. Introduction. 2. Methodology. 3. Results. 4. State of the art review. 4.1. The evolution of news treatment. 4.2. The production of news programmes. 4.3. Data, tables and questionnaires. 5. Conclusions. 6. Bibliography. 7. Notes. Abstract’s translation by Francisco Moreno (University of Granada) Article’s translation by Cruz Alberto Martinez Arcos (University of London) 1. Introduction The purpose of this research is to review the state of the art of the Spanish TV news programmes. The key objectives, defined in the form of hypotheses, are to determine whether the TV news programmes have been built as “windows” or “screens” of reality, i.e. whether the news are manipulated, whether the programmes offered the news and messages aseptically or whether the ideology pervaded and conditioned the message and the news. And finally what discourse is derived from it. Based on the previous, we established as the focus of the research the comparison of news treatments in the various Spanish television networks, after which we found that the news programmes are dynamic: - In the 60s and 70s the prevailing concepts were “window to reality” and relative “objectivity”. - In the 80s and 90s there was a “manipulation” of the public opinion and a reductionism of values and cultural issues; the news were constructed as a dramatic spectacle, in which the processes of emotional identification based on morbid pictures are the formula used by large media groups to attract the audience. - At present the information is a docudrama with beginning, middle and end, with protagonists and antagonists extolling the vision of the hero. As conclusion we propose, among other issues, an audiovisual alphabetization and the creation of a mechanism for the external regulation of television networks. This research was motivated by the concerns of the three researchers on the subject. An illiterate population is easier to handle and the dynamics of television networks are leading to that state, driven by the organic powers of television, and indirectly by the government institutions, through the manipulation of information and the slowing of culture. 2. Methodology      !""###$%"""&&&’(%"’’’’)*(