MIP Insights: RADIO VOICES: How One Grant Changed A Public Radio Station – Case Study: KCRW

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s grant to KCRW in 2015 gave the Los Angeles-based public radio station the means to expand their coverage of underserved and vulnerable populations in Southern California. As outside evaluators, our Media Impact Project examined the expanding influence and growth of KCRW’s programming through three new series at the time: Below the Ten, KCRW Investigates and There Goes the Neighborhood. Over the course of a few years, KCRW reshaped its newsroom, increased their coverage, offered fresh perspectives on the issues, and connected with new audiences.

This case study looks at the work accomplished under the KCRW-Conrad N. Hilton Foundation partnership and outlines best practices for future collaborations between philanthropy and public media, including recommendations for both media and philanthropic entities who wish to focus on issues important to both.

Immigration Nation: Exploring Immigrant Portrayals on Television

This report presents a media content analysis conducted by the Lear Center’s Media Impact Project in collaboration with Define American, a nonprofit media and culture organization, to investigate two research questions:

1. How are immigrants and immigration issues depicted on entertainment television?

2. How do these depictions compare with the reality of the immigrant experience?

The analysis examines the demographic, socio-economic, and social representations of immigrant characters depicted, as well as the context and use of any culturally- or politically-charged terms relating to immigration in 143 episodes of 47 television shows that aired in 2017 and 2018.

Are You What You Watch?

Do liberals enjoy the same TV shows as conservatives? Do they experience similar emotions while viewing their favorite shows? Our new study looks for connections between media diets and political beliefs, tracking changes from 2008 to 2018.
We surveyed a national audience for their views on issues such as guns, abortion and the environment, as well as their news and entertainment preferences. Using statistical clustering techniques, we identified three ideological groups: The Blues, who have liberal attitudes toward most political issues, are also liberal in their entertainment consumption, enjoying entertainment from different cultures with values different from their own. The Purples, a swing group with positions across the political spectrum, are voracious TV viewers who say they learn about social issues from the entertainment they enjoy. The Reds, who hold conservative views on most issues, watch the least entertainment TV and get the least pleasure from it.

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Ready to Share: Fashion & the Ownership of Creativity

Ready to Share, the Lear Center’s landmark event on fashion and the ownership of creativity, explored the fashion industry’s enthusiastic embrace of sampling, appropriation and borrowed inspiration, core components of every creative process. Discussion sessions covered fashion and creativity; intellectual property law; fashion and entertainment; and the future of sharing. Ready to Share produced three research reports, an illustrated transcript and a book with DVD.

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Warners’ War: Obligations Above and Beyond: Remembering Harry Warner

Betty Warner Sheinbaum offers a heartfelt tribute to the movie achievements and American ideals of her father, Harry Warner. At his urging, Warner Bros was the first studio to close its German office due to the rise of Nazism. Back home, Harry championed political films to raise awareness in the U.S. of the dangers of fascism.

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A 2-in-1 Guide: Impact Assessment & Metrics Guide

The fourth in a series of Media Impact Project guides for understanding Media Metrics, this guide is split in two in order to feature both conceptual perspectives for foundations and nuts-and-bolts advice for nonprofit news organizations.

MIPNonprofitFunders300Begin by reading the side that’s most relevant to you, and then be drawn into the conversation by reading the other side.

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