Tackling the Issues: Meaning Making in a Telenovela

The future of marriage and hispanics

“…Although such stories are interesting, we should not lose sight of the fact that telenovelas are written and produced by people interested in delivering a viable product that resonates with its audience (Acosta‐Alzuru, 2003). Some have argued that U.S.‐based soaps marginalize Hispanic women (Jenrette, McIntosh, & Winterberger, 1999), who instead watch telenovelas that are typically produced in Latin America and that they connect with culturally (Barrera & Bielby, 2001).…”

Glocalized Telenovelas and National Identities

“…Authors working in the field of telenovela studies argue that the genre's success is linked to its intrinsic "formula" that usually comprises stories with universal appeal Television & New Media 13 (6) (such as rags-to-riches and Cinderella stories) and globally resonant archetypes with which viewers can easily identify. Telenovelas are typically stories that are told to a national audience using a melodramatic method (Acosta-Alzuru 2003;Miller 2010, 213). The cultural aspects of the telenovela are often closely tied to economic aspects, such as cost-competitiveness and the capacity to attract loyal viewers.…”

“…Telenovelas are typically stories that are told to a national audience using a melodramatic method (Acosta-Alzuru, 2003b;Miller, 2010:213). The cultural aspects of the telenovela are often closely tied to economic aspects, such as cost-competitiveness and the capacity to attract loyal viewers.…”

“…To understand the production choices made during the adaptation process, we conducted several in-depth expert interviews with Sara ’s head of scriptwriting, Hugo Van Laere. This “textual cum production analysis” was designed to respond to the lack of comprehensive studies on text and production as crucial sites of meaning making (Tufte 2000; Acosta-Alzuru 2003). This analysis is also inspired by Robert Stam’s reformulation of a meaningful sociology of adaptation, which is seen “as a kind of multi-leveled negotiation of intertexts” (Stam 2000, 67) where textual as well as industry analysis can be incorporated.…”

Understanding How the Popular Becomes Popular: The Role of Political Economy in the Study of Popular Communication

“…Nearly 20 years later, popular communication research on people's relationships with and viewing of television continue to draw from these traditions. The work suggests a variety of experiences with television and hence of ways that we can be audiences (Acosta-Alzuru, 2003;Bird, 2003;Bury, 2003;Hagen and Wasko, 2000;Mayer, 2003;Seiter, 2000;Wasko, 2001). Below I sketch ten ways in which we approach television as users, drop-in viewers, channel surfers, multiple screeners, casual viewers, focused viewers, engaged viewers, members of interpretive communities, fan-consumers, and self-programmers.…”