A Visual Ethnography of Rocky Mountain PBS
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University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2019 Storytelling and Self in Public Broadcast: A Visual Ethnography of Rocky Mountain PBS Emily Baker University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Anthropology Commons, and the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Baker, Emily, "Storytelling and Self in Public Broadcast: A Visual Ethnography of Rocky Mountain PBS" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1562. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1562 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Storytelling and Self in Public Broadcast: A Visual Ethnography of Rocky Mountain PBS ______________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Social Sciences University of Denver ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts ____________ by Emily Baker June 2019 Advisor: Esteban Gómez ©Copyright by Emily Baker 2019 All Rights Reserved Author: Emily Baker Title: Storytelling and Self in Public Broadcast: A Visual Ethnography of Rocky Mountain PBS Advisor: Esteban Gómez Degree Date: June 2019 Abstract Embodied storytelling in Denver’s public broadcast media establishes how the intersectional identities of storytellers influence narrative practices in Denver’s public sphere. Five approaches to communicating identity informed my theoretical background: embodiment, visual anthropology, the public sphere, practice theory, and phenomenology. Rocky Mountain PBS, a 60-year-old broadcast institution, served as my research site during the summer of 2018. In my thesis, I overviewed the history of RMPBS and observations of production activities performed by the creators of the show Colorado Memories. Using a phenomenological methodology, the research design and data collection included filmed participant observations, semi-structured interviews guided by a survey, and secondary analysis of Denver media. After completing qualitative analysis, I organized findings into six topics complementary to the filmed narratives: acquiring identity, learning storytelling, professional goals, (dis)comfort within storytelling, favorite stories, and future storytelling goals. The visual ethnography I made from my findings illustrates embodied storytelling through visual anthropology. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following organizations and people. First, thanks to the production staff of the show Colorado Memories including the senior producer who allowed me to film her crew. Second, I would like to thank the local production staff of Rocky Mountain PBS, Rocky Mountain Public Media, and CEO Amanda Mountain for their accommodations during my research. Third, I thank the Station’s Archived Memories for their continued help during archival research. Fourth, I’m thanking the Denver Botanic Gardens for allowing me to film on their grounds during interview sessions with staff executives. Fifth, I would like to thank Donor Development Strategies for getting me in touch with the Rocky Mountain PBS senior producers. Sixth, I would like to thank the University of Denver Department of Anthropology and my adviser, Dr. Esteban Gómez, for their continued support and departmental funding during my field research. Lastly, I would like to thank William Bodensieck for his repeated commentary and encouragement during the production of this thesis. This came together with some hard work and collaboration. iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Chapter Two: Background Theory and History ................................................................. 7 2.1. Theoretical Background ..................................................................................... 9 2.1.1. Embodiment .............................................................................................. 10 2.1.2. Visual Anthropology ................................................................................. 12 2.1.3. The Public Sphere ..................................................................................... 15 2.1.4. Practice Theory ......................................................................................... 20 2.1.5. Phenomenology......................................................................................... 22 2.1.6. Literature Review...................................................................................... 24 2.2. Denver, Rocky Mountain PBS, and Colorado Memories ................................ 32 Chapter Three: Methodology ........................................................................................... 41 3.1. Methods............................................................................................................ 43 3.2. Secondary Analysis .......................................................................................... 52 3.2.1. This is My Denver .................................................................................... 53 3.2.2. Station’s Archived Memories (SAM) ....................................................... 58 Chapter Four: Findings ..................................................................................................... 66 4.1. Analysis............................................................................................................ 68 4.2. Beginnings in Identity and Storytelling ........................................................... 72 4.3. Developing a Voice.......................................................................................... 82 4.4. Getting into the Field ....................................................................................... 89 4.5. The Field .......................................................................................................... 97 4.6. Honing a Voice .............................................................................................. 104 4.7. Past to Future Stories ..................................................................................... 113 Chapter Five: Discussion ............................................................................................... 123 Chapter Six: Conclusion ................................................................................................ 136 References ....................................................................................................................... 144 iv References from Station’s Archived Memories (SAM) ................................................. 151 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………...152 Appendix A: Semi-Structured Interview Questions ............................................. 152 Appendix B: Qualitative Analysis Code Book ..................................................... 155 Appendix C: Proximity Matrix ............................................................................. 157 Appendix D: SAM Interview Questions .............................................................. 158 v List of Figures Figure 1: The survey titled “identity wheel” (Creative Strategies for Change 2019) ....... 50 Figure 2: Accession number system used by SAM archive volunteers. Category refers to the TV stations across Colorado owned by Rocky Mountain Public Media. The committee deals with which volunteer committee. The year is when it was made/acquired depending on what information they have on hand. The record number refers to the assigned record number. ................................................................................................... 60 Figure 3: Danielle at her desk in the newsroom editing content on Adobe Premiere Pro. From 00005.MP4 in the SAM tour folder. ....................................................................... 80 Figure 4: Studio 1, the larger of the two studios in RMPBS. From 00021.MTS in the station tour folder. ............................................................................................................. 81 Figure 5: Oliver discussing photo research on the phone with an independent organization collaborating with Colorado Memories. His computer screen is blurred out for his privacy. From C0031.MP4 in the station tour folder. ....................................................... 87 Figure 6: Zoe (behind the camera on the left) and Chelsea (right) adjusting the camera’s light intake settings. From MVI_4353.MP4 in the DBG folder. ...................................... 94 Figure 7: Ramona in the newsroom taking footage from the DBG shoot and putting it onto the Colorado Memories hard drives. The face of the interviewee is blurred out for their privacy. From MVI_4440.MP4 in DBG folder. ....................................................