Abstract

In Argentina, channels born in the radio and television have started producing shows for their transmission through the Internet. This technology is called streaming, and has various purposes. However, the live streaming shows produced by channels such as El Trece, Vorterix or Radio Mitre borrow characteristics from the radiophonic and audiovisual languages. The final products are inscribed in a digital, Internet-based system that differs from that of mass communication media. Authors as Carlón (2016) explain that this change follows after the ‘death of television’, and the result is ‘hypermediations’ (Scolari, 2008), e.g. new communicative experiences in which different languages converge. In the light of these theories, I have analyzed a narrow corpus of live streaming shows produced by one traditional television channel and one radio. To begin with, both follow the broadcasting model that is utilised by the traditional media, yet elements that had been exclusive to one or the other (i.e., commercial ads for television) are now present in live streaming. Therefore, the distinction between the languages is blurry in these metaproducts. As such, they also have characteristics of their own – interactivity, multimediality and reproducibility. This reinforces their belonging to a new system that is different from that of mass media that was completed with the television. The present analysis could have a profound impact on the way the communication studies understand media in the era of digitalisation and their future.

Key words: LIVE STREAMING - HYPERMEDIATIONS - RADIO - TELEVISION - MASS COMMUNICATION MEDIA - DIGITAL MEDIA

Introduction

Since the 1970s, the phenomenon of digitalisation has affected the technical system of communications, though not all elements of the network simultaneously (Barbieri and Bertho-Lavenir, 1996). The traditional media of television and radio did not escape this process.

In this digital era, mass communication media are being transformed by a new system that is hypermediatic, digital and Internet-based. This system has generated new ways of production and discourse appropriation (Carlon, 2016). This is where streaming comes in.

Streaming is the term for “continuous transmission or broadcast, through the Internet Protocol (IP), through which the user receives the product on their terminal through the stream without having to download it completely” (Marín Pérez, 2021). Live streaming is the streaming of video and/or audio in real-time or near real-time.

Different platforms have appeared in the Internet scene because of this technology that enables the continuous transmission of data. On platforms such as Netflix, viewers can watch films and shows on demand. Meanwhile, there also are others like Twitch or YouTube Live, where users can broadcast for viewers to watch in real- or near real-time.

In Argentina, different channels born in traditional media are adapting their content or producing new formats to stream. Some transmit their television or radio programs on a website – of their own or a streaming platform – while some also create new shows native to the Internet. Such is the case with Infobae, a digital newspaper that emits a livestream show – Infobae en Vivo – or Canal 13, a traditional television channel from Buenos Aires that produces Viernes Trece, hosting four young adults. Furthermore, Radios such as Radio Con Vos and Radio Mitre have also incorporated the visual transmission of their programs through YouTube.

These broadcasts share various characteristics. For instance, they feature four or five hosts sitting down and speaking on microphones, sometimes with headphones on. This layout is similar to that of radio studios. The difference with livestream shows native to the Internet lies in that the speakers are on camera, something that traditional radios did not have until some, too, started live streaming their programs. In addition, the illumination of livestream shows is specially prepared for the optimal image in the audiovisual transmission, as in television studios, while radios with live transmissions do not have adequate studio lights.

In this format, the line between radiophonic and audiovisual languages is blurry. The result contains the traditional characteristics of radio transmissions and elements from the audiovisual language. Although simultaneously, the end product is inserted in a completely different system from that of mass media.

Livestream shows are a hybrid of radio and television because of two reasons. First, they draw upon the star model of radiodiffusion. Second, they belong to a new system of mediations that result from the death of television.

The following section consists of the theoretical framework. Then, the corpus of analysis is described in the methodological framework. In a third section, the concepts are applied to the analysis of the selected live streaming shows.

Theoretical framework

In 2008, Carlos Scolari developed the concept of ‘hypermediations’ (hipermediaciones) to refer to communicative experiences in which different languages and media converge in a single environment. The latter has its own production and distribution logics, generating meta-products characterised by hypertextuality, multimediality and interactivity.

By multimediality (multimedialidad), Scolari refers to the convergence of different languages and media in one environment. In the era of digitalisation, multimediality facilitates the manipulation of contents and favours, at the same time, the integration of screens by allowing one piece of multimedia content to appear in different formats, on any of them.

These concepts build upon the theoretical perspective of ‘complexity eulogy’ (Barbier & Bertho Lavenir, 1999), which evaluates media as coexistent and self-defining. The authors propose that new media are built on the contents and forms of use elaborated by their predecessors. Therefore, the appearance of the former does not lead to an abrupt substitution of the latter; instead, all media generate a complex mediatic ecosystem.

In the contemporary mediatic ecosystem, the traditional mass media of television and radio have been reshaped and now compete against new media which also offer audiovisual content. These contents may prioritise the visual component, or they may be based on the radiophonic language and add the visual element as a complement, yet not the main focus. Still, these formats are broadcasts, that is, transmissions from one point to many.

In its origins, communication through radio had two possible models: amateur radio and later, radiodiffusion or broadcasting. The distinction between radiodiffusion (radiodifusión) and amateur radio (radioafición) is stated by Ximena Tobi (2008): the transmission of the former is multipolar, regular and commercial, and its discourse is characterised by the construction of an institutional space. Meanwhile, the transmission in amateur radio is bipolar, irregular and non-commercial, and, at the discourse level, the space constructed is individual and private, and the texts are personal.

The broadcasting model (radiodiffusion) triumphed in the communications through radio, and the television followed the same line since its origins. These two media, alongside the printed press, made possible the massive communication throughout the twentieth century. At least until the Internet appeared, and with its massification, new forms of communication surged. This led many authors to theorize on the death of television.

The concept of the ‘death of television’ is the protagonist of a wide debate. Mario Carlón (2016) exposes different perspectives and then argues that the appearance of TV as a medium completes the mass media system and marks the beginnings of a new system of mediations and social practices that is digital, hypermediatic and Internet-based. This creates new ways of discursive production and appropriation. Thus, ‘death’ does not imply a total disappearance, but instead, a metamorphosis of the system in which the television is inscribed.

Carlon also established a test “to know if a television is in crisis”. The test is based on four indicators: a) penetration of the Internet, b) multiplication of screens at home, c) use of portals and services that offer audiovisual products and d) audiovisual consumption of cinematographic and televisual products through DVDs.

Although the last point is no longer applicable since DVDs have fallen into disuse, contemporary consumption of audiovisual products is nowadays achieved through streaming platforms. The nature of streaming and live streaming also coincides with two other characteristics of the list: these technologies are Internet-based and require the use of portals of audiovisual products such as YouTube and Twitch, among others.

Methodological framework

The corpus of analysis consists of shows produced by channels that come from the traditional mass media of radio and television. For said reason, the shows are considered representative of the object of study – the characteristics of radio and television that bleed into the use of livestreaming made by channels born in mass media.

The first livestream show is Viernes Trece, a transmission by the traditional TV channel from Buenos Aires Canal 13 (stylised as El Trece). Canal 13 de Buenos Aires was founded in 1960 and is one of the media with the largest audience in Argentina. The hosts of the show are four young adults: Fermín Bo, Faustino Bo, Julieta Castro, and Sofía “Chopa” Montoya. This is one of the two livestreams El Trece transmits on YouTube, Twitch and their official website, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 18.

The second live streaming show is Paren La Mano, hosted by Lucas Rodríguez and transmitted via YouTube, Twitch and radio dial FM 97.1, from Monday to Friday starting at 19. The producer is Vorterix, a radio station founded in 2012 that began transmitting video even before native live streaming channels. Therefore, since its foundation, Vorterix has differed from other Argentine media by fusing traditional radio with digital content, which speaks of a multiplatform approach that was innovative back then.

Results and discussion

The integration of radiophonic and audiovisual languages makes livestream shows part of the new interactive surroundings. These metaproducts utilize the four elements than make the former: voice, music, effects and silence. At the same time, they are able to show facial expressions, gestures and even games and various dynamics that would have not been possible in the traditional radio, which the audience could only hear, not see. This situation can be explained by Barbieri and Bertho Lavenir (1999): contemporary media build upon and resignify the resources elaborated by their predecessors. While the broadcasting model of radio borrowed characteristics from the theatre and the printed press, live streaming shows fuse various elements of television and radio as will be explained below. This suggests the idea of a hybridisation of these media in the context of a new digital and hypermediatic system that rises after the completion of the mass communication media era.

Radiodifussion: conitnuity and rupture since interactivity

The transmission of Viernes Trece and Paren La Mano shares the characteristics of the broadcasting model described by Tobi since the shows are multipolar, regular and commercial. Multipolarity (the transmission from one to many points) is intrinsic to live streaming technologies, and regularity is observed in the transmission at their respective times. Viernes Trece begins at 18, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while Paren La Mano is transmitted from Monday to Friday at 19. Lastly, the commercial aspect is easily identifiable in the incorporation of ads of different types. The first is through visuals in the lower region of the screen, and the second is the use of non-traditional advertising (PNT, in Spanish), through which the hosts recommend brands by simulating a natural conversation on a certain topic with other participants. This is a resource that both hosts, Fermín Bo and Lucas Rodríguez, utilise. Paren La Mano also uses PNT in ludic dynamics, as in the transmission on October 31st, 2024, in which Naranja X sponsored a game with a football and a goal (Vorterix, 2024). There is also a third kind of ad used in Paren La Mano: those created for radio and television. These are presented in the ad break, an instance that reinforces the belonging of the show to a radio since it sticks to the characteristic schedule of the media. Nevertheless, many of the ads presented in Paren La Mano are the same as the presented in television, and are therefore planned in the audiovisual language, not the radiophonic. This way, multipolarity, regularity and the commercial aspect of the traditional radio are part of the nature of live streaming, although this very same nature also draws upon the audiovisual language of the television.

Analysing live streaming shows of Argentina demands considering both the characteristics of traditional media and those of the metaproducts of hypermediations. Scolari (2008) describes the new communicative experiences as interactive, multimedial and hypertextual. Interactivity between the audience and the hosts of the show can take place outside the show (perhaps in a special event, in the streets or through social media) or during the show. In the latter, interactions are necessarily given by technologies of communication. These consist of live chat, which is available both on YouTube and Twitch, or audio messages. Traditional radio had already incorporated calls during the program, however, with the technological advances, the previously mentioned options are available for both radial shows and live streaming shows. Viernes Trece benefits from live chats because participants interact with the audience before the transmission begins. For instance, in transmission number 94, Faustino Bo finishes on camera a story he had been telling on chat (El Trece, 2024). To encourage audio messages from the audience, Fermín Bo from Viernes Trece often recalls the WhatsApp number throughout the transmission. After hearing an audio, the participants discuss the topic or situation presented by the sender. Meanwhile, Paren La Mano stopped using audio messages, and interactions with the audience take place through text messages that the production team read. The possibility of incorporating various voices allows the application of the discursive aspect of amateur radio on the broadcasting model. Although the broadcasting model is multipolar (one point transmits to many), technological advances enable an exchange of rather personal texts and the building of an individual or private space. This was already present in traditional radio (and later television) thanks to calls, and that very same characteristic pours into the livestreaming shows.

Hypermediatic ecosystem: fusion through multimediality

Live streaming shows Viernes Trece and Paren La Mano are also metaproducts of hypermediations because they are multimedia, and that facilitates the appearance of content in different formats across various screens. This is evident in the availability of the shows after the live transmission. In Viernes Trece, the availability is immediate on the same platforms it was emitted (YouTube and Twitch), while Paren La Mano is shared across different channels. First, it is fully uploaded less than an hour later in Vorterix’s YouTube channel and Spotify, and the show’s channel uploads a fragment of the most recent program everyday. What’s more, fragments of both shows are shared through social media, or El Trece’s website in the case of Viernes Trece, too. Scolari explains this situation: “Thanks to digitalisation, everything is reproducible and tends to be available at any moment” (ídem; p. 288). Reproducibility of contents generates new dynamics of consumption, since the audience can watch livestream shows even when they are no longer live, something that was impossible in the model of mass communication media, that, according to Carlón, finished with television.

Conclusion

Livestream shows integrate the radiophonic and the audiovisual languages and the features of the traditional radio and television. Both the latter utilised the broadcasting model, in which one point transmits to many. Elements of this model are intrinsic to livestream shows since they are multipolar, regular and commercial. The incorporation of audiovisual elements is also part of their nature. In fact, as shown, there are ads created for the television present in shows like Paren La Mano, which is produced by Vorterix, originally a radio. The lines between the radio and the television get blurry when analysing the use of live streaming by Argentine channels.

Meanwhile, livestream shows are not only a hybrid of radio and television, but also metaproducts of hypermediations. These products are interactive, multimedia and hypertextual. On one hand, interactivity takes place as it has in traditional media: through phone calls, and, since the use of WhatsApp, through audio and text messages as well. Also, the platforms used for the transmission allow live chats with the audience. On the other hand, multimediality is visible in the appearance of content in different formats across various screens and different platforms. The availability of content at any moment through the Internet or digital social media generates new ways of consumption. As a result, the audience can watch livestream shows even when they are no longer live. This represents a break from the system of mass media, a break marked by the death of television.

This analysis presents two main limitations that could be amended in further investigation. First, a wider corpus of analysis should include radio shows with visual transmission, for the comparison between these and native livestreams might provide a deeper understanding of the incorporation of radiophonic elements in live streaming. Also, the study could be extended to live streaming shows produced by other than channels born in traditional media. Second, a diachronic investigation could account for the evolution of certain elements (i.e. the use of phone calls or games) in television and radio, and, later on, in live streaming shows.

In spite of these limitations, this study provides tools for a more profound understanding of media in the digital era. Also, the results could serve as a point of departure for a deeper research on the reproducibility of multimedia contents and on the interaction between the audience and participants of live stream, radio and television shows.

Bibliography

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Marín Pérez, B. (2021). Streaming: advantages, challenges, and opportunities of the radio televisions to attract audiences. Revista De Ciencias De La Comunicación E Información, 26, 45–65. https://doi.org/10.35742/rcci.2021.26.e85

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Anexo

ELTRECE. (30 de octubre de 2024). LLAMADO DE EMERGENCIA 🚨📞 #ViernesTrece del 30/10/2024 - PROGRAMA 94. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/live/m5u1hdK7AfQ?si=edCaqbDR6MOm5of1

VORTERIX. (31 de octubre de 2024). MARTI BENZA EN #PARENLAMANO | Programa Completo - 31/10 | Vorterix. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/1yun_IjennI?si=X1hm5wpW6LyWw3Sh

Biodata

Francesca Di Benedetto studies Social Communications at Universidad Nacional de La Matanza and holds a C2 Proficiency qualification by Cambridge English Assessment. She is keen on languages and both journalistic and academic writing. She works in the marketing department of a small enterprise and as an English tutor.