A Failed Success: A Community Television Case study of the Contradictory Nature of Participation and Deliberation

Abstract

This article uses a case study approach to examine the coexistence of deliberative and participatory goals in community media. It analyzes a popular weekly community television (CTV) program on an Israeli kibbutz and its demise based on a series of in-depth interviews with kibbutz audience members and kibbutz CTV production crew members. Our findings suggest that there is an inherent conflict between deliberative and participatory goals. We recommend that community leaders take a more active role in supporting community media and suggest that hiring professionals from neighboring communities could make it easier for CTV to produce deliberative content. We rely on previous research to re-emphasize the importance of broad community participation in community media production.