Media events today

Abstract

Introduction to the Special Section on the 25th anniversary of the publication of Daniel Dayan's and Elihu Katz's Media Events: The Live Broadcasting of History.

Media events in the age of global, digital media: Centring, scale, and participatory liveness

“…Media events might even be "hijacked", as already mentioned, since "the cameras are mounted, the lights are turned on, the ceremony begins. There is no stronger temptation to advocates of some revolutionary case than to turn these lights and cameras on themselves" (Dayan & Katz, 1992: 72; see also Sonnevend, 2018). The risk of hijacking and the general unpredictability mean that the narrative of media events can suddenly change and transform one type of media event into another.…”

“…Despite the many critical discussions of Dayan and Katz's seminal book and its origin in a particular media historical period, its "lasting charm" is undeniable (Sonnevend, 2018). The continued attraction seems to relate specifically to a yearning for mediated centres among audiences.…”

“…Katz and Liebes (2007) propose regarding media events as either scripted, preplanned, and ceremonial, or unscripted, disruptive, and traumatic (wars, natural disasters, or terrorist attacks), thus challenging Dayan and Katz's three original forms. Hepp and Couldry (2010) add commercialised popular media events, and Sonnevend (2018) puts forward the concept of hijacked events -originally coined by Dayan and Katz (1992) -to capture how activists might take advantage of an event to serve their own ends. Additionally, Maurice Roche (2000) has introduced the concept of a mega event to capture the remarkable growth in the size and cultural significance of certain transnational events.…”

W(h)ither Media Events? Building a Typology for Theorizing Exceptional Events that Break with the Norm in a Complex Media Landscape

“…Dayan & Katz's study of media events continues to generate interest from scholars around the globe (Sonnevend, 2018). However, recent attempts to reinvigorate the concept haven't always sharpened our thinking, notably when it comes to theorising the significance of such events in an era of digital platforms, liberalized media markets and fragmented audiences.…”

“It is their job to make sure that the long-term vision for the show … stays intact”: Using insights from the television format industry to rethink the concept of media events

“…Dayan and Katz's concept of media events (1992) continues to provoke ongoing research and reflection from scholars interested in theorizing the significance of events and programs that interrupt media schedules and, in the process, often draw together substantial numbers of people through closely-aligned media practices (Sonnevend, 2018). The original study of Media events was quite rightly criticized for its functionalist approach, and subsequent interlocutors have noted the importance of asking whether, who, and in what ways such events integrate, rather than making broad-based assumption concerning their integrative power (Couldry, 2003, pp.…”