Renata Johnson

THE ROLE OF TV GLOBO INTERNACIONAL FOR BRAZILIAN IMMIGRANTS IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND TORONTO ________________________________________________________________________ A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts ________________________________________________________ by RENATA JOHNSON Dr. Bonnie Brennen, Thesis Supervisor MAY 2006 The undersigned, appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, have examined the thesis entitled THE ROLE OF TV GLOBO INTERNACIONAL FOR BRAZILIAN IMMIGRANTS IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND TORONTO Presented by Renata Johnson A candidate for the degree of Master of Arts And hereby certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance. ___________________________________________________________ Professor Bonnie Brennen ___________________________________________________________ Professor Byron Scott ____________________________________________________________ Professor Ibitola Pearce ____________________________________________________________ Professor Corinne Valdivia To Rogério Jacques de Moraes Everything I do is to honor your memory, my sweet, humble, righteous, caring, patient, supportive, compassionate, bright, jovial, curious, humanist, selfless and present, always present, my dad… meu adorado pai. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Bonnie Brennen, my committee’s chair and adviser. I had the privilege to have Dr. Brennen as a professor in three classes. Since the first one, a lecture in a large auditorium, Dr Brennen’s teachings have touched my heart and clarified my mind. In her qualitative research classes, she empowers and, most of all, inspires students. It took me three and a half years to complete graduate school. Meanwhile, Dr. Brennen moved to Temple University, where she is currently Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Yet, she diligently stood by me, providing prompt feedback, thoughtful suggestions and encouragement. I would like to extend a big thank you to Dr. Tola Pearce for her insights and suggestions that were great contributions for this thesis, specifically regarding globalization, acculturation, and culture. Dr. Pearce is a devoted professor who pushes students forward with her passionate energy and selfless commitment. I would like to thank my committee members, Prof. Byron Scott and Dr. Corinne Valdivia. Prof. Scott is a tireless supporter of international students. And Dr. Valdivia, the adviser for my international development minor, offered good ideas at the time of the proposal. This thesis benefited from the classes I took for the minor. Many thanks go to my interviewees, who opened their hearts and talked to me, a stranger, as if I were a close friend. Thank you for the cafezinhos (coffee), ice cream, pão de queijo (cheese bread) and everything that made the interviews so fruitful and fun. I cherished all of them, including a horrible allergic reaction to a Brazilian facial wax. ii I am also grateful to the members of the Brazilian community who responded to my e-mails, in particular, the staff at Centro Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos, in Miami, and Carlos in Toronto. Special thanks go to Júnia, who took me by the hand and showed me around Dundas Street as well as introduced me to other interviewees. I thank all Globo employees who participated in this study. Special thanks go to Amauri Soares, director of Globo Internacional, for helping out a student, and Marcos Milanez, affiliate relations, who generously answered a last minute interview plea. I would like to acknowledge Johanna Carrillo, my dear Chilean friend, for decreasing my workload with the International Journalists’s Network in D.C. so I could concentrate on finishing up this thesis. Johanna cheered for me at every step of the way. On a personal note, I wish to thank my sister Andrea F. Jacques de Moraes not only for hosting me in Toronto but also for the constant support. This thesis is the end of a journey that began with her. Andrea first came to the University of Missouri and encouraged me to study in the journalism school. (Well, I was born because she begged for a little sister -- with dark hair and dark eyes like her. As a young teenager, I used to love hearing Andrea’s philosophical conversations with our dad. They were certainly pivotal to my thirst for knowledge). Finally, I thank my mother in Brazil, who thinks all I do is wonderful, along with my father for sacrificing their finances so I could study in this renowned school; also, my rock and safe heaven, my husband Eric. Instead of taking a vacation to rest, he accompanied me in Florida and Toronto so I wouldn’t have to be away from him and my little boy Milo. And Milo, who makes the word “thesis” sound like the cutest, sweetest thing in the world. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………….… ii LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………... vi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION………..……………………..…………………………….…… 1 1.1. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK………………………………………….………….…. 4 1.2. RESEARCH QUESTIONS……….…..………………………………………………….. 8 1.3. LITERATURE REVIEW………..…………….………………………………………... 10 1.3.1 Globalization and the Global Media…………………………………………………. 11 1.3.2. Background on Brazil’s Media……………………………………………………… 16 1.3.3. Globo TV and its Influence in Brazilian Culture……………………………………. 18 1.3.4. Brazilian Immigration to North America………………………………………….… 22 1.3.5. Adaptation in a New Culture………………………………………………………... 25 2. METHODOLOGY……...…………………...………………………..…………. 28 2.1. QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW..………………………………………………………. 29 2.2. INTERVIEW TOPICS………….…………………………………………………….. 31 2.3. BACKGROUND ON INTERVIEWS AND INTERVIEWEES……………………… 36 3. REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBO INTERNACIONAL…………....... 45 3.1. THE BEGINNING….……………………………………………………………….….. 46 3.2. REASONS…….………………………………………………………………………... 51 3.2.1 For News…………..………………………………………………………………... 51 3.2.2. For Novela and Soccer…..…………………………………………………………. 55 3.2.3. For Language……………………………..…………………………………….…... 58 3.3. CONCLUSION…………………………………………..…………………………….. 60 4. THE ROLES OF GLOBO INTERNACIONAL……………………….………. 63 4.1. ROLE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL………….…………………………………………… 63 4.2. ROLE FOR THE FAMILY……….…………………………………………………… 78 4.3. ROLE FOR THE COMMUNITY……..……………………………………………….. 82 4.4. GENDER AND CLASS DIFFERENCES…………..…………………………………. 86 4.5. YAHOO! DISCUSSION GROUP……..…………………………………………..…… 91 4.5.1. ONLINE RESPONSES…...………………………………………………………... 94 iv 4.6. CONCLUSION……………………..…………………………………………………. 100 5. BRAZILIAN IDENTITY AND LOCAL CULTURE………………….………103 5.1. BRAZILIAN IDENTITY……..…………………………………………………….… 105 5.2. NORTH AMERICAN IDENTITY: CANADA…………….………………………… 108 5.3. NORTH AMERICAN IDENTITY: UNITED STATES………..………………….…. 112 5.4. ACCULTURATION DYNAMICS…………..……………………………………….. 116 5.4.1. Dynamics in Toronto…………………...……………………………………...….. 119 5.4.2. Dynamics in South Florida…...………………………………………………….... 127 5.4.3. Personal Stories……..………………………………………………………….….. 138 Marginalized/Assimilated in South Florida: Sonia...………………………………….…. 138 Separated in South Florida: Rose…………………….…………………………………... 143 Integrated in South Florida: Sandra………………..………………………………….…. 146 Bicultural/Integrated in Toronto: Luciana H…………...………………………………... 149 Separated/Integrated in Toronto: Dionísio………………………………………………...151 Bicultural/Integrated in Missouri: Christiane...………………………………………….. 153 5.5. CONCLUSION…………..……………………………………………………………. 157 6. GLOBO’S TURN……...……………………..…...……………………….……. 159 6.1. BACKGROUND…………..………………………………………………………….. 160 6.2. EXPECTATIONS AND STRATEGIES………..…………………………………….. 162 6.2.1. Planet Brazil…………...…………………………………………………………... 166 6.3. FUTURE PRIORITIES...…...………………………………………………………… 170 6.4. CONCLUSION….……………………….……………………………………………. 172 7. CONCLUSIONS………………..……...………………………………………... 173 APPENDIX A – SAMPLE INTERVIEW……………..………………………….... 185 APPENDIX B- GLOBO………………………………………………………………190 B.1. NEWS RELEASE……..…………..……………………………………….……………………………….. 190 B.2. CORPORATE INTERVIEW…………………..……………………………………………………….…... 191 B.3. AMAURI SOARES, DIRECTOR OF GLOBO INTERNACIONAL..………………………………...……192 B.4. MARCOS MILANEZ, AFFILIATE RELATIONS……..……………………………………..……….……192 APPENDIX C –YAHOO! DISCUSSION GROUP …………………………………194 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………...195 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Berry’s Acculturation Attitude………………………………………………………119 2. Globo Internacional Subscribers around the World…………………………….…....166 vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION The goal of this research is to try to comprehend and interpret the significance of TV Globo Internacional, the first Brazilian transnational channel, for Brazilians away from Brazil. In effort to understand the roles that this channel plays for Brazilian immigrants within the globalization context, this research incorporates the framework of cultural studies. In this chapter, I will cover the theoretical framework, research questions and literature review. As a student from Brazil, I am personally interested in the attempt of a Brazilian channel to become transnational. I started to subscribe to Globo International three years ago because, among other reasons, I wanted my son to be exposed to my language and culture. During these years, I became “addicted” to one novela (soap opera); I had different perspectives on world issues; and I stayed updated with what went on in my country. Intrigued by the role of Globo in my life, I decided to delve into this subject. However, this topic does not only concern Brazilian immigrants or me. Globo Internacional

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