ETV loodus- ja keskkonnasaade „Osoon“ 1993-2011: muutuv formaat, teisenev käsitluslaad

Abstract

The topic of this bachelor thesis is „ETV’s nature and environment programme „Osoon“ 1993-2011: changing format and discourse“. The programme „Osoon“ is one of the longest running programmes in Eesti Televisoon (ETV). It discusses mainly environmental and nature themes. According to one research (Eesti elanike keskkonnateadlikkus 2010), 61 percent of population is interested in environmental and nature topics. That research also revealed that the main channel for information about environment was televison and especially the programme „Osoon“. As the research method, I used content anaysis and analysis of semi-structured interviews. For the content analysis, I anayzed 60 feature stories from 28 programmes from 18 years. I also interviewed two editors, two authors and a director of „Osoon“. The main changes that the I found out with content analysis was that the whole programme has become more entertainment-oriented. In the early years of „Osoon“, there were also more investigative environmental features than there are now. The number of talking heads in a „Osoon“ feature has also decreased over the years, mainly because of decrease in investigative environmental features. The interviewees told that there are many reasons behind „Osoon“ having less investigative environmental features and becoming more entertainment-oriented. One reason was that many good journalists have left „Osoon“. The authors also told that investigative stories are more challenging to do than entertaining or informing stories, because of long preparation time. One of the editors told that there are many investigative programmes in ETV, so „Osoon“ should be more family-oriented, general interest show. There were also many changes in format and structure of the programme. The programme has become longer. In the early years (until 2001) there was only one feature and one topic per programme. In autumn of 2001, „Osoon“ adopted TV-magazine format, which consists of two or three feature stories per one programme. This allows „Osoon“ to cover more topics in one programme. This change was made to make the programme appealing to a bigger audience. 53 Also, „Osoon“ has incorporated many basics of infotainment into the programme, namely interesting and well-known programme host and more entertaining, „softer“ themes. „Osoon“ has a host since autumn of 2007 and it is well-known humorist and fisher Vladislav Koržets. I argue that all the changes made over the years are to make the programme more appealing to wider audiences. There are many ways to expand this research. One possibility is to analyze further the investigative environmental features and reasons behind decreasing of these features. It is also possible to research the values that „Osoon“ incorporates.