Journalistification, Transnationalism and Critique in Swedish Television’s Cultural Magazine Kobra (2001−2017)

Abstract

The cultural magazine Kobra (2001−2017) was one of the longest running shows in Swedish public service television history. Kobra defined culture broadly as arts, popular culture and subcultures, both international and Swedish. The study uses three lenses—journalistification, transnationality and cultural/societal criticism—to analyze how Kobra evolved over its long run. It focuses on four globally eventful years 2001, 2005, 2011, and 2016 and shows how the shifting SVT mandate is reflected in the show’s title sequences, program structure, visual features, and text. Transnationality becomes established through topic themed episodes connecting various cultural domains in different parts of the world or through country/city-themed episodes. A close reading from three different years reveals that Kobra exercised transnational systemic criticism through the choice of theme and interview subjects, rather than through evaluation of cultural expression, in line with its increasing journalistification and public service mandate.