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Research shows that older people tend to not only be underrepresented on television (TV), but also to be represented within a number of fixed types. These correspond to cultural myths about ageing, which emphasise vulnerability and decline but also increasingly stress the individual's responsibility for successful ageing. This paper analyses the representation of older people on Flemish public TV, using qualitative content analysis to identify patterns of representation in a sample of 44 programmes broadcast in 2019 and 2020, including the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. To complement our own analysis, we also interviewed eight experts on ageing. Our research shows that representations of older people on Flemish public TV tend to gravitate towards two types related to different age groups: vulnerable and passive old-old people (over 80 years old), particularly those in nursing homes who feature prominently in reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic; and dynamic and active young-old people (65–80 years old), connected to the ideals of successful ageing. The two predominant types correspond to cultural myths about ageing and are also connected to recurrent themes: sexual intimacy, loneliness and death. Our research highlights the need for a more diverse representation, reflecting the variety of individual life conditions and the functional age of older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jasbir Puar introduced the notion of 'homonationalism' to describe the increasing acceptance of sexual minorities in Western nations, leading to their incorporation in the national in-group which is increasingly opposed to homophobic 'others'. While Muslims constitute the main out-group, other groups and nations are also targeted, in particular Russia and related countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Such discourses create a binary opposition between two homogenized parties, the uniformly LGBTQ-friendly in-group versus the uniformly homophobic 'other'. While the literature on homonationalism mostly discusses politics in the U.S. and a number of other nation-states, this article explores homonationalism in a smaller sub-national region in Western Europe, Flanders, focusing on the press as a tool for spreading homonationalist discourse. Exploring three months of Flemish newspapers, this article identifies some instances of explicit homonationalism but more implicit homonationalism which does not explicitly mention the in-group but does paint a one-sided picture of Russia and related countries as homophobic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on homonationalism by exploring a European region that has not been discussed so far, Flanders (Belgium), focusing on media discourses. Homonationalism refers to the way LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) rights are increasingly incorporated in (mostly Western) conceptions of nationhood, at the expense of ethnic and religious "Others" (most prominently Muslims) who are considered inimical to the LGBT-friendly nation. Using discourse analysis to analyze three months of Flemish newspaper reporting on homosexuality in relation to Muslims, this article inquires into which nations LGBT rights are incorporated and by whom, and how homonationalist discourses relate to broader discourses on Muslims and homosexuality. The analysis finds examples of explicit homonationalist discourse, originating with nationalist politicians, but also implicit homonationalist discourse that only refers to Muslims, as well as counterdiscourses. Implicit and partial discourses are particularly insidious in spreading homonationalist arguments contributing to wider Islamophobic discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of globalization, national unity or identity are problematic and even contested concepts. The inherent diversity of most nations, furthermore, complicates the notion of a national unity or identity. Within this struggle to define the nation, mass media are generally regarded as playing an important role in ideas around nationhood. This article explores contemporary struggles to define 'the nation' as unified by comparing the diverse realities of South Africa and Flanders (Dutchlanguage northern Belgium) with specific focus on Public Service Broadcasting (PSB). Thus, by systematically exploring how diversity is dealt with in two separate national contexts, focusing in particular on PSB, we aim to come to a better understanding of how generic concepts like the nation, unity and diversity function in unique and specific contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of music and music tastes in lesbian and gay cultures is widely documented, but empirical research on individual lesbian and gay musical preferences is rare and even fully absent in Flanders (Belgium). To explore this field, we used an online quantitative survey (N= 761) followed up by 60 in-depth interviews, asking questions about musical preferences. Both the survey and the interviews disclose strongly gender-specific patterns of musical preference, the women preferring rock and alternative genres while the men tend to prefer pop and more commercial genres. While the sexual orientation of the musician is not very relevant to most participants, they do identify certain kinds of music that are strongly associated with lesbian and/or gay culture, often based on the play with codes of masculinity and femininity. Our findings confirm the popularity of certain types of music among Flemish lesbians and gay men, for whom it constitutes a shared source of identification, as it does across many Western countries. The qualitative data, in particular, allow us to better understand how such music plays a role in constituting and supporting lesbian and gay cultures and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that oral history interviews constitute an invaluable source for reconstructing audience experiences of television in the past. Taking into account the limitations of human memory, as well as the constructive, structuring activities involved in ‘memory work’, these narratives provide useful, first-hand insights into the significance of television for audiences of the past. Starting from a discussion of audience historiography and the position therein of ‘popular memory’ and oral history, the article then draws on research about early Flemish TV audiences to discuss the multiple structures and connections to the present and to personal biography in television memories. Overall, the strength of this method lies not in the accuracy of these memories, but in their testimony of the lived experience and significance of television in everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the turn of the century, serial television drama is increasingly associated with quality. This reappraisal has been widely documented, but such accounts are strongly Anglocentric. Is this rise (or return) of 'quality TV' an international trend? Is it also present in smaller markets with lower budgets? To answer these questions, this article focuses on the small television market of Flanders (Dutch-language North Belgium). Nine successful productions are discussed, also their reviews. The core of the analysis is constituted by interviews with people involved in the production of these dramas, trying to understand how they define and aspire to produce 'quality drama'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flanders, a distinct cultural and linguistic community within Belgium, has all the characteristics attributed to the 'modern' nation and television has for a long time operated as a forum where Flemish identity is confirmed in a self-evident, un-politicised way. While culturally nationalist Flemish policies dictated drama output in the monopoly years of public broadcasting, for the past two decades drama has been produced in a competitive market. In this context, and despite the strong influx of American drama, Flemish drama has thrived, not because of government quota or grants, but because viewers prefer it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]