In the Name of God. Television Religious Program and Audience Reception: A Comparative Study on Iranian TV Islamic Programs and Electronic Church.

Transcription

1 In the Name of God Television Religious Program and Audience Reception: A Comparative Study on Iranian TV Islamic Programs and Electronic Church. Nasser Bahonar Member of Faculty Imam Sadigh University The Prophet of Islam, as his first step, in order to ascertain an Islamic community, consecrated a mosque in Madinah served as an initial platform for Islamic public medium. Everyone knew the real function of this medium. This measure gradually expanded and turned into the development and expansion of one of the most significant centers of communications and intercultural interactions among the members of this Islamic community. Following the establishment of this center, throughout the history of Islamic civilization, other numerous centers came into being, each was responsible for one aspect of communicative output of the Islamic community. Other revealed religions such as: christianity, Jewism had recognized the importance and position of such communicative centers. They had made use of certain traditional media like churches and synagogues to promote their purposes. 1

2 The advent of mass media was a great and considerable phenomenon in this modern world of life. Each religion in proportion to its own social and cultural conditions confronted with this new phenomenon. Without considering differentiations from viewpoints of various religions and denying them, it is worth mentioning that all of them have this common notion that modern media are considered considerable and influential in social communications. Their advantages and disadvantages depend on their applications. Both Islam and Christianity cast similar positive glances at mass media and encourage their followers to distinguish and use them in a proper and committed way. Today both Islamic and Christian societies enjoy many experiences and useful applications of mass media for religion purposes. Motivations, the method of application of mass media; impacts and constraints all contain many differences in their cultural realm. But an intercultural and communicative study can help us take advantage of such experiences, especially when dealing with similar matters and issues and while negotiating about them. In this paper I have tried to review some of my research data based on some religious programs of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), and after presenting some specifications of Christian TV. Programs or what is called Electronic Church I have given several suggestions regarding this intercultural communicative exchange of views. 2

3 Islamic TV Programs of IRIB The first radio station was inaugurated more than 60 years ago and the first TV. Station more than 40 years ago. During these years Islamic programs formed some part of radio and TV. Programs. Producing such programs has increased considerably after The Islamic Revolution. Their qualitative aspect has also seen marked improvement. In order to study the current situation of IRIB programs a research plan has been designed and implemented in two sections. First, content analysis of high appeal audience Islamic TV programs. Terminal objective of this part was to distinguish the content and the method of presenting Islamic ideology to the audience. Second, a field study in order to study audience viewpoints about IRIB programs and their place in traditional and modern Islamic media was also carried out. Based on this research on program communication, it shows that besides the clergy, other classes of society such as: university students and professors and artists have had real partnership in providing such messages. This multiplicity of partnership attracted different audiences with different specifications and interests. The content of these programs include different dimensions such as: beliefs, ethics, traditions, religious rituals, and history of Islam. This multiplicity of content for Islam, which is considered as a multidimensional, multipurpose vehicle of thought considered to be a thorough art. But in these programs the dominant trend, 3

4 is that of Islamic beliefs. Today one of the issues of program making is taking advantage of message presentation. Different forms of programs, dialectical forms of communications, direct or indirect narration, active methods, are all different dimensions of presenting messages Islamic programs of IRIB, during last decade have enjoyed appropriate growth, making use of all kinds of methods and due to attractive portrayal of message have attracted more audiences. Different forms of programs i.e. serials, feature film TV. theater, animation film and so on has improved considerably, although reflection of speeches, religious rituals, and classes are used similar to forms of traditional media. Dominant use of indirect method in presenting messages and breaking traditional framework of direct methods can be considered as a worthy situation in Iran. On the whole this can bring about an appropriate framework for program making. The result of survey study show that about 90% of Iranians watch TV.70% of whom allocate two hours of their time to watching TV. 50% of them regard this time as a significant reason for watching programs to entertain themselves and fill their free time and 25% of them indicated they spend their time to watch the news and other events. 96% of the people are interested in religion and religious themes and 70% show their high eagerness for religion and this shows the religious texture of the society. What is interesting is that the results also reject the claim of close relationship between low educations with religiousness. The findings show that after 4

5 childhood, there is a direct relationship between increase in age and high eagerness towards religion with. Almost all audiences have shown positive reaction towards religious programs. Religious programs similar to entertaining ones have attracted most audiences and have satisfied all of them though they have expected production and broadcasting more entertaining religious programs. It cannot be said that the problem of relationship between entertaining and religious programs has been solved. At the same time the informative and training content of these programs has not been to a large extent satisfactory. Findings show that about 60% of Iranians still consider traditional religious media as their first choice in communicative functions. But on the whole, the Islamic TV programs of IRIB and Islamic press especially in the field of entertainment and informative functions enjoy a considerable amount of agreeability. Electronic church Eighty years of experience in the world of Christianity and application of new media has clarified certain characteristics about communicative aspects of Christianity. Investigations show that the communicators or presents of such programs are mainly among religious leaders or the clergy of the churches. Other social classes of society have but little partnership in providing such religious messages. 5

6 The majority of programs are related to chapel ceremonies and preaching of the clergy, especially related to Sunday sermons and in most cases no changes is imposed on such programs, as they are broadcast on TV. Of course during recent years so many educational and informative programs have been produced for children and broadcast. In such programs many forms of TV programs have been used. A research done by Anneberg-Gallop about the audiences of Electronic Church show that observers of these programs have almost had some beliefs as those who attend the church ceremonies. They include certain low-income people of society and traditional believers. In this regard, Christian media have all endeavored to change the content of their programs in order to meet the needs of modern humanity and as a result attract the attention of more audiences. The role of entertaining programs is considered one of the problems of program makers. This, to a large extent has limited the possibility of religious messages in prime time TV programs. This conflict, along with the desire to entertainment is still an uneasy issue for program producers and even some clergy who are still trying to solve it. Some by presenting appropriate religious issues try to make an entertaining program and thus confront many problems. Another significant achievement is the use of modern media in religious matters and putting emphasis on producing traditional vis-à-vis communications. Some experts in communications not only emphasize continuation of this traditional communication, but also believe that effective and appropriate application of 6

7 modern media is achievable whenever religious functions of traditional media is put into effect. conclusion Whatever was briefly mentioned here is regarded as an cross cultural study in comparative verification of IRIB programs as an Islamic country and about Christian TV programs. This comparison shows different uses of religious communications such as: 1.Today TV. Religious programs are wandering between religious television and televised Religion. Television possesses a variety of capabilities and merits compared with other media. Producers of religious programs should distinguish their evolution and should appropriately make use of TV. Techniques. These efforts should continue to such extent that religion via television, by broadcasting religious rituals, sermons without any cuts in between be gradually changed into religious television. 2.The high wall between entertainment and religion still remains.during the past decades the entertaining function of religious programs has been the weakest application of their communicative functions. As a result, by presenting new definition for entertainment and looking for the proper and beautiful religious and humane themes, we can take more effective steps in solving this problem. 3.Most audiences of religious programs include religious people. It seems that such programs were limited to those people and to limited scale. While Quran states, 7

8 "All human being are by nature born religious." This is the duty and responsibility of program makers to provide necessary communicative attractions and by meeting the needs of other people out of the category of religious people answer their question, awaken them and provide a kind of background in order make them join to religious group of the society. 4.The manner of interaction of traditional and modern religious media has always been presenting a question.it cannot be ignored that religious traditional media especially in Islamic countries has always been an invaluable heritage possessing lively social functions. Any kind of planning for each of these media should take the growth and reinforcement of the other into consideration in order to omit its shortcomings in the process of religious communications. Anyway, there is not any conflict between them and every effort should be done to bring them under one convergence. Finally, in regard to the special theme of this gathering i.e. intercultural communication, I suggest that a research for the purpose of comparative study about TV religious programs in Islamic countries be designed and implemented and be presented as an achievement of this scope in future. 8

9 Refrences 1. -Harold J.Ellen (1974), Models of Religious Broadcasting,Grand Rapids,MI:Eerdmans Michael Suman,ed(1997), Religion & Prime Time Television,London: Praeger. 3-Stwart M.Hoover(1988), Mass Media Religion:The social Sources of Electronic Church.Newburry Park:Sage Publication. 4- Vatican (1992), Postal Instruction (AETATIS NOVAE) on social communications,on the twentieth anniversary of Communio et Proyressio,Vatican City,Vatican Press. 5- Vatican (1997), Ethics in Advertising, Vatican City: Vatican Press 6-Vatican (2000), Ethics in Communication,Vatican City:Vatican Press. 9