Regional media field from media consumption perspective

Abstract

The study analyzes the regional media field under conditions of digitalization, focusing on media consumption as a key aspect of media communication. This research adopts an addressee-centric approach, also accounting for content factors, media institution characteristics, editorial policies, and others. The empirical base comprises outputs from two key regional media outlets in Pskov Oblast – “Pskovskaya Lenta Novostey” (PLN) and “Pskovskoye Agentstvo Informatsii” (PAI). The work delineates the role of regional media texts in shaping the information space through examination of content, audience preferences, and editorial strategies.
The methodology draws on conceptions of contemporary media communication and its regional specifics; the necessity of considering extralinguistic factors in media text analysis, such as regional peculiarities, sociocultural characteristics, demographic indicators, and others; and employs methods including content analysis of publications, statistical analysis of traffic, audience demographic data, and Yandex search rankings. The findings reveal principal strategies of regional media – integration with social networks, growth in mobile traffic, preference for brief news – which contradict demands for in-depth regional analysis and public oversight. Comparison of the two Pskov outlets reveals that one emphasizes critiques of authority and multimedia projects, while the other focuses on neutral news summaries. This divergence polarizes the media field and attracts distinct audience segments. The author concludes that regional media success hinges on balancing digital trends with journalistic values.