Networks, Society, and Polis: Epistemological Approaches on Mediatization

Rita Figueiras 136 commentators come from a party without parliamentary rep- resentation, power parties dominate (PS and PSD) , and there is a higher presence of commentators from the right-wing parties (PSD and CDS) than from the left-wing parties (PS, CDU, BE). In summary, while in the generalist channels the com- ment space is configured around the parties of power, on the cable TV, we find something close to party democracy , even if, again, in favor of the PS and PSD. On cable television channels, audiences are reduced and fragmented between the various channels , and the diversity of opinions is greater. In turn, the comments made on generalist channels reach a much wider number of viewers but have a smaller range of opinions. This alliance between the parties of power and the dominant media has benefits for both parties, because both address or intend to address, the same groups of individuals , and are interested in obtaining high audiences for their messages. Thus, the comment in prime time presents itself as an extension of the politics in dominance, and this conformity of the media to the party needs may explain why the political commentators are mostly coming from the power parties on the generalist and cable channels, confirming, thus, the third hypothesis of this research. Previous studies on commentary on television have noted the over-representation of right-wing political com- mentators in the news in Germany and Denmark (HOPMANN; STRÖMBÄCK, 2010). During the 16 years analyzed, the PS and PSD governed approximately the same number of years in Portugal, and this study expected to find a relatively balanced presence of political commentators from the center-left and center-right. However, the results did not confirm the fourth hypothesis in full. When politicians dominated the opinion space on RTP1, there was always a balanced presence of com- mentators from the center-right and center-left, due to the guidelines of the state regulatory organization which links the public media to the political balance between the left and the right in all informational content, including opinion. However, on commercial television, the data showed a stronger repre- sentation of right-wing political commentators, which is even more evident on generalist television channels, where it reach- es a much wider audience.