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• The future of public service media

  • When
    05.05.2025
  • Location
    Södertörn University, Sweden

  Symposium arranged by the Knowledge Center for Public Service Media (Kpub), the Center of Excellence for Digital Transformations (DigiTrans) and the ECREA Section for Media Industries and Cultural Production.

  Public service media (PSM) in Europe are undergoing significant transformations over the last decade. Some of these are necessitated by technological shifts, such as the dominance of digital platforms within contemporary media ecologies. Others are precipitated by political and geopolitical developments. Some actors are questioning the overall need for public service media in a transforming media landscape, and others dispute if they still carry a democratic role.

  How can we imagine a future for public service media in Europe? How can contemporary challenges understood and met? And what should be the role of PSM in the future media- and political landscapes of Europe?

  This symposium will tackle these issues drawing on current international and comparative research, as well as insights from the Swedish broadcasting companies themselves.

  Programme

  Presentations, 13:00-14:30

  José van Dijck, Professor of Media and Digital Society at Utrecht University

  Public Service Media in the age of platformization and Big Tech

  Catherine Johnson, Professor of Media and Communication, University of Leeds

  Content distribution and independence: a comparative study of European Broadcasters

  Jannie Møller Hartley, Professor in Communication and Journalism, Roskilde University

  Datafication of Journalistic Practices – An Ethnographic Inquiry

  Victor Picard, Edwin Baker Professor of Media Policy and Political Economy, the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania

  Funding democracy: Public media and democratic health in 33 countries

  Coffee break 14:30-15:00

  Panel discussion 15:00-16:00

  K-pub (sh.se/kpub) is a knowledge and research center on public service media at Södertörn university, Sweden.

  K-pub is takes as its starting point the rapid technological and industrial shifts as well as the (geo)political challenges for public service media in Sweden and Europe. K-pub seeks to stimulate research and disseminate knowledge in order to enhance evidence-based policy and development.

  K-Pub offers:

  • An infrastructure for knowledge about public service media: making existing knowledge available to relevant users.
  • A platform for knowledge exchange: through publications, seminars, workshops, etc. in cooperation between industry, decision-makers and the research community.
  • A forum for learning: by organizing and coordinating education about public service media and about its role in a contemporary media landscape.
  • A Hub for research: gathering and coordinating researchers and research projects on the future of public service media, in Sweden and internationally.

  K-pub is funded by the research environment Digital Vulnerabilities in Automated Welfare: Infrastructures, Citizens’ Experiences and Public Values (Swedish Research Council, 2024-01837_VR), the ECREA Section for Media Industries and Cultural Production. and the research platform on Digital Transformations at Södertörn university.

  Registration until 2 May - see link HERE.

  https://www.sh.se/english/sodertorn-university/calendar/events/2025-05-05-the-future-of-public-service-media
  

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• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Contemporary Challenges for Organisational and Strategic Communication

  • Start
    14.05.2025
  • End
    16.05.2025
  • Location
    University of Cagliari, Department of Political and Social Sciences Cagliari, Italy

  See the call HERE.
  
  In today’s rapidly evolving communication landscape, organisations are navigating a complex interplay of opportunities and threats. Strategic communication has become more critical than ever as organisations confront developments, such as the rise of digital platforms, AI-driven tools, and the potential of influencer partnerships, alongside significant threats, including misinformation, cyberattacks, and polarised public opinion. Furthermore, deep-rooted issues like trust erosion and stakeholder activism are reshaping organisational communication practices. This conference aims to explore the "good," "bad," and "ugly" sides of contemporary challenges on strategic and organisational communication, examining how organisations across various sectors (private, public, and third sector) are addressing these multifaceted factors while considering the implications of their communication strategies.
  

  We invite the community of scholars, Ph.D. students, and practitioners to reflect upon the scope of those thoughts and to submit proposals that explore empirical research, case studies, innovative approaches, or critical reflections on contemporary challenges of organisational and strategic communication.

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• Automating Democracy: AI Use Between Social Justice and Social Control

  • Start
    22.05.2025
  • End
    23.05.2025
  • Location
    Erasmus University Rotterdam

  ECREA Communication & Democracy Section Off-Year Conference
  

  Deadline for abstracts: January 15, 2025

  https://automatingdemocracy.wordpress.com/ 

  We invite submissions for the ECREA Communication & Democracy Section's off-year conference, Automating Democracy: AI Use Between Social Justice and Social Control, hosted by the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication in Rotterdam on May 22-23, 2025. 

  This conference will explore the transformative effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on democratic processes, focusing on two inter-related themes:   

  • AI & governance

  • AI & citizen participation

  We welcome a broad range of submissions engaging with both practical applications of AI and the technological hype through which AI is represented and talked about in political life. We are interested in questions such as: How is the technological hype around AI impacting contemporary democratic imaginaries? What would civic-oriented AI solutions entail? How are public discussions about automated decision-making informing the public sector’s propensity towards implementing such solutions in governance?  How can citizens call for the development of ethical and transparent AI-use in governance? What are citizens and public authorities doing with AI? To what extent can AI facilitate citizen mobilization and political participation? 

  The conference will bring together faculty, PhD students and research MA students conducting critical research to examine AI’s potential in advancing social justice and inclusion, as well as its capacity for social control and marginalization. We are particularly interested in theoretical and empirical contributions that explore the role of AI in (re)shaping public policy, governance practices and democratic oversight; and, the role of AI in empowering or suppressing political participation, citizen activism and social movements. 

  The two-day event will include two keynote lectures, panel discussions, and a practitioner-scholar roundtable. This roundtable will provide a platform for dialogue between civil society representatives and participants on current practices and challenges of AI-use for progressive social change. 

  Conference submission and fees 

  Please submit a 250-words abstract indicating the intended theme by January 15, 2025, via email at automatingdemocracy2025@gmail.com 

  Notifications of acceptance will be sent by February 15, 2025.

  Registration fees: 150 euro for PhD and (research) MA students; 200 euro for faculty members. PhD and (research) MA students should indicate their status in the abstract. The fee covers coffee-breaks and lunch during the conference. 

  The organizers intend to bring together the conference contributions into an edited collection. 

  For more information, visit the conference website at  https://automatingdemocracy.wordpress.com/

  Conference organizing committee

  Dr. Delia Dumitrica, Erasmus University Rotterdam

  Dr. Ofra Klein, Erasmus University Rotterdam

  Victoria Balan, Erasmus University Rotterdam

  Dr. Giuliana Sorce, Tubingen University

  Dr. Jun Liu, University of Copenhagen

  Dr. Arianna Bussoletti, Sapienza Universita di Roma

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• CEECOM: Journalism, Audiences, and Platform Power in the Age of Transformation

  • When
    07.06.2025
  • Location
    Zadar, Croatia

  The Department of Sociology at the University of Zadar in cooperation with the ECREA Central and East European Network is organizing the 15th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference CEECOM 2025 from June 6-7, 2025 in Zadar, Croatia.

  The theme of the 15th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference is Journalism, Audiences, and Platform Power in the Age of Transformation.

  The deadline for abstract submission is February 28, 2025.
  

  More on the conference and important dates: 15th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference | 2025 – Sveučilište u Zadru | University of Zadar.

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• ECREA – ICA-Panel 2025

  • Start
    12.06.2025
  • End
    16.06.2025
  • Location
    Denver, Colorado, USA

  Call for Abstracts – ECREA panel at ICA conference 2025

  International Communication Association

  ICA@75: Disrupting and Consolidating Communication Research

  Addressing ICA’s 75th anniversary, the 2025 conference theme is an invitation to critically reflect on communication studies as a discipline and ICA as an agent and site of disciplinary development. Theme sessions will take stock of our past, critically review present developments, and chart out future avenues for communication research. We particularly welcome contributions speaking to three important aspects of the theme: communication scholarship as a transformative and stabilizing force in society, as a research practice that can be both revolutionary and consolidating, and communication studies as a disrupted and resilient discipline. In all these contexts, elements of disruption and consolidation are not necessarily antithetical but may productively be framed as a dialectical relationship. More information: ICA 2025 - Theme - International Communication Association

  ECREA will host one panel at ICA 2025 and invites high quality submissions of panel proposals that are focused on timely and innovative topics and are diverse in terms of methodologies, theoretical standpoints and/or nationalities of the presenters. As ECREA’s mission is advancing European scholarship, we especially encourage panel proposals which include a European perspective and a comparative research focus. This call for panel proposals is open to ECREA members of all ECREA sections and to all topics.

  Please note the following information:

  Panel submissions. Panels provide a good forum for the discussion of new approaches, ongoing developments, innovative ideas, and debates in the field.  If you plan to submit a panel, please submit the following details: (a) Panel theme or title, (b) a 75-word description of the panel for the conference program, (c) a 400-word rationale, providing justification for the panel and the participating panelists, (d) 75-word abstract of each paper, (e) names of panel participants (usually 4-5 presenters, plus an optional designated respondent), and (f) name of panel chair/organizer. In terms of diversity, we expect a strong panel proposal to (a) include contributions of at least two different countries, (b) feature gender balance, and, ideally, (c) include not more than one contribution from a single faculty, department or school. Panel proposals need to be original and may not have been submitted to ICA before or at the same time. Panels consisting of personal on-site presentations are given priority. Please indicate in your submission if your panel consists of on-site presentations only or not. Accepted panel presentations do not count towards the max. allowed individual paper presentations at the ICA conference.

  Registering panelists. All panelists must be ECREA members by the time the conference takes place and agree in advance of submission to participate as panel presenters and to register for the ICA conference. ICA provides a registration waiver only for the panel convener, not for the other panelists. Also ECREA does not cover any travel expenses.

  How to submit?

  • Email to: info@ecrea.eu

  • Submission deadline is 10th of January 2025, 23:59 CET

  • In case of questions please contact: info@ecrea.eu

  ECREA-ICA Conference Review Committee:

  • Indrek Ibrus (Tallinn University)
    
  • Dina Vozab (University of Zagreb)
    
  • Malgorzata Winiarska-Brodowska (Jagiellonian University)
    

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• ECREA European Media and Communication Doctoral Summer School 2025

  • Start
    04.08.2025
  • End
    10.08.2025
  • Location
    Södertörn University, Sweden

  ECREA European Media and Communication Doctoral Summer School brings together members of the European research community to this summer school in order to debate contemporary issues in media, communication and cultural studies. The summer school aims to provide a supportive international setting where doctoral students can present their ongoing work, receive feedback on their PhD-projects from international experts and meet students and academics from other countries, establishing valuable contacts for the future. 

  
  

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• Gaining Access, Building Relationships: Researching Media Industries in a Changing Landscape

  • When
    12.08.2025
  • Location
    University of Copenhagen, Denmark

  ECREA Media Industries and Cultural Production Workshop

  This one-day conference tackles a central and persistent challenge in media industries research: How scholars gain entry into media companies and navigate the personal and professional relationships that shape researcher-industry interactions.
  
  Issues of trust, access, and working beyond polished corporate narratives have long been debated in studies of media production, distribution, and industrial organization. These questions have been approached from both pragmatic and strategic perspectives, which focus on the practical challenges of forming relationships and gaining access, as well as from ethical perspectives, that address normative concerns about how these relationships should be structured.

  The urgency of these questions has only grown in recent years. As international tech giants reshape the media landscape, their corporate cultures and structures pose new barriers to access. Traditional media companies, too, have evolved—fragmentation, competition, and shifting security protocols have made research entry more complex than ever. These changes not only reinforce enduring methodological challenges but also demand fresh approaches to researcher-industry relations.
  
  We invite papers that critically examine the dynamics of access, relational work, and researcher-industry engagement—whether through empirical case studies, methodological discussions, or theoretical inquiry. Our goal is to share experiences, refine our research strategies, and deepen our understanding of the evolving conditions of media industries research.

  Presentations at the conference may address, but are not limited to:

  ●      The ethical dimensions of relational work in media industries research—and the insights gained from openly reflecting on access strategies and the challenges of managing academia-industry relationships.

  ●      How strategies for gaining access may differ depending on the specific media industries or organizations, their sizes, and political contexts. 

  ●      Longitudinal accounts of how mutual trust is maintained or challenged in relationships between individual researchers and industry actors over time.

  ●      Professional “breakups” between researchers and industrial actors, and what can be learned from ending or exiting collaborations.   

  ●      The issues of sharing or accessing historical data or archival material.

  ●      The issues of accessing media organizations’ digital platforms, internal systems, or internal communication channels.

  ●      How taking part in committees and policy work can challenge researchers’ autonomous role and how they have mitigated this. 

  ●      Creative workarounds to gain access to organizations once initial attempts are denied. 

  We invite scholars to submit abstracts for papers addressing these themes. 

  Abstracts of 300 words should be submitted no later than the 11 April 2025. Send abstracts to: fredrik.stiernstedt@sh.se. Authors will be informed regarding acceptance/rejection for the conference no later than 16 May 2025. Early career scholars and graduate students are highly encouraged to submit their work (please indicate if the research submitted is part of your thesis or dissertation project). 

  Fees and accommodation. The conference registration fee is 50 Euros, and participants are asked to cover their travel expenses. This fee includes coffee breaks, lunch and drinks at the get-together. For participants that will continue to the NordMedia 2025 Conference  in Odense (13-15 August), trains from Copenhagen to Odense depart frequently and take about 90 minutes. Participants are asked to cover their accommodation.

  Organizing committee

  Local organizers: Mads Møller Tommerup Andersen (University of Copenhagen)

  For the section management team: Fredrik Stiernstedt (Södertörn University), Vilde Schanke Sundet (Oslo Metropolitan University), Catalina Iordache (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and Torbjörn Rolandsson (Roskilde University).

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• ECREA PolCom Section Interim conference and the YECREA workshop

  • Start
    04.09.2025
  • End
    05.09.2025
  • Location
    University of Innsbruck

  Dear ECREA Political Communication Section members,

  The Political Communication Section of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) is pleased to invite abstract submissions for its upcoming interim conference under the theme “Connecting.” Being hosted by the Department of Media, Society, and Communication and the Department of Political Science at the University of Innsbruck, this conference aims to connect approaches, ideas, perspectives, disciplines, and scholars of the field of political communication. It is about exploring the multifaceted dimensions of political communication.

  To submit a paper: Abstracts should be no longer than 3000 characters (incl. references) and clearly outline the research question, methods, and anticipated contributions of the proposed presentation. Submissions should be made via the submission site (see below) by the deadline of 30 March, 2025.

  To submit a panel: A 400-word rationale should be sent alongside a 150-word explanation per presentation, as well as the names and affiliations of presenters and respondents to ecreapolcom2025@uibk.ac.at<mailto:ecreapolcom2025@uibk.ac.at>.

  For more details please check:

  ECREA Political Communication Section Interim Conference – Universität Innsbruck<https://www.uibk.ac.at/de/congress/ecreapolcomm25/>

  ***

  Workshop Organized by the YECREA PolComm Section Representatives:

  Bridging the Gap: Building a Professional Profile as an Early-Career Researcher

  This workshop takes place just before and is part of the 2025 ECREA Political Communication Interim Conference.

  Date: full-day workshop, September 3, 2025 (including a lunch break)

  Address: University of Innsbruck, Universitätsstraße 15, Innsbruck, Austria

  Participation fee: no more than 25€ (depending on the external funding acquisition)

  If you wish to participate in the workshop, please register through the following link: https://forms.gle/XeBg57HfMRsSiMd76

  DEADLINE: May 19, 2025. The number of spots is limited.

  More information about the conference can be found here: https://www.uibk.ac.at/de/congress/ecreapolcomm25/

  If you have any questions, please contact Anna Maria Planitzer (anna.maria.planitzer@univie.ac.at<mailto:anna.maria.planitzer@univie.ac.at>) or Andreea Stancea (andreea.stancea@comunicare.ro<mailto:andreea.stancea@comunicare.ro>).

  We are looking forward to meeting you in Innsbruck!

  Kind regards,

  The ECREA PolCom Management Team, the Interim Conference Local Hosts, the YECREA representatives

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• Cog in a wheel? Radio and Sound in the Changing Mediascape

  • Start
    08.09.2025
  • End
    10.09.2025
  • Location
    Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey

   ECREA Radio and Sound Section
  8-10 September 2025 

  (ALSO: PhD pre-conference - 7 September 2025 - information will be circulated separately)

  Media Department, Faculty of Communication, Istanbul Bilgi University, Santral Istanbul Campus

  This conference aims to examine the past, present, and evolving role of radio around the world within a dynamic global media landscape. We will highlight the transformation of radio from a static entity to an adaptive component of the larger media ecosystem, continually reshaping itself in response to socio-political, economic, and technological changes. In the early 20th century, radio played an important role in the establishment and development of nation-states — especially militarily, economically, politically, and linguistically. Today, it is ubiquitous in various forms, multi-faceted, and present throughout the world. With the advent of artificial intelligence and non-human presenters, along with rising public mistrust and the prevalence of disinformation, radio faces new pressures to evolve. Nevertheless, radio endures as a critical medium, especially during global conflicts, where it serves as a source or way of communication for the different parties to the conflict as well as for the diaspora communities. 

  Starting from this premise, we invite papers that help conceptualise “radio” as a cog in a changing wheel and focus on the dynamics that have shaped, over time and across the globe, the role of radio, be these roles assumed, attributed, or presumed by both broadcasters and listeners and be these radios private, public, university, community, clandestine, political, and more. We seek papers which explore the resilience and ongoing transformation of radio, emphasising its vital role in a shifting media environment and welcome interdisciplinary perspectives. We also welcome papers that contribute to investigating the various roles and forms that radio has occupied, as well as the various topics it has tackled since its inception to the present day across different political, geographical, economic, and cultural contexts. We are particularly interested in exploring the contexts and reasons behind these evolutions.

  Furthermore, we aim to understand how the materiality of what is sometimes too quickly labelled as “radio” has evolved. Our goal is to investigate radio's transition from live, real-time broadcasting to a platform that accommodates on-demand audio formats and genres, working alongside podcasts, streaming, and downloadable content. This evolution has rebranded the industry as "audio" or "sound media", showcasing new capacities for audiences to listen almost whenever and wherever they want, thanks to the Internet and associated technologies. 

  We also welcome conceptual and theoretical proposals that address the place of radio and sound studies in academic landscapes. These fields are tackled by researchers from various disciplines, from engineers to art researchers, and are mobilised to explore many topics, from the role they could play in war contexts to their place in the artistic and cultural development of groups and nations.

  Lastly, we invite practitioners in the fields of radio and sound studies who are eager to combine their reflections with those of academics. By merging practical insights with theoretical perspectives, we aim to foster a rich dialogue that bridges the gap between practice and research.

  The conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and paper presentations that address the following themes related to the one or many main topic(s) of this conference:

  RADIO AND SOUND: PRODUCTION, FORMATS AND PURPOSES

  ○      Production

  ■      Practices

  ■      Studies

  ■      Podcasting 

  ■      Ethnographies

  ■      Broadcast locations (e.g. prisons, hospitals, educational institutions,refugee camps, farms, armed forces, …)

  ■      …

  ○      Formats

  ■      Information

  ■      Storytelling

  ■      Narratives

  ■      Musics

  ■      Sounds

  ■      Codes (non-talk)

  ■      Drama

  ■      Sound Creation

  ■      Documentaries, 

  ■      Talk shows, 

  ■      Podcast typologies

  ■      …

  ○      Purposes

  ■      Politics

  ■      Pedagogy and education

  ■      Awareness raising

  ■      Activism

  ■      Entertainment

  ■      (Dis)information

  ■      …

  RADIO AND SOUND: MEDIUM IN CONTEXTS 

  ○      Medium

  ■      Civic radio 

  ■      Free radio

  ■      Pirate radio

  ■      Alternative radio

  ■      Radical radio 

  ■      DIY radio

  ■      Not-for-profit radio

  ■      NGOs radio

  ■      Feminist radio 

  ■      Community radio 

  ■      Local / national / regional radio 

  ■      …

  ○      Contexts

  ■      Radio in the global media landscape

  ■      Ownership, regulation and governance of radio

  ■      Freedom of speech

  ■      Political and economical constraints

  ■      Policies of broadcasting 

  ■      …

  RADIO AND SOUND: AUDIENCES AND LISTENING

  ○      Audiences

  ■      Community

  ■      National

  ■      Transnational

  ■      Diasporas

  ■      Demographics within audiences

  ■      …

  ○      Listening

  ■      Poetics of listening

  ■      Philosophy of listening

  ■      Politics of listening

  ■      History of listening

  ■      Listening as a cultural practice

  ■      Phenomenology of listening 

  ■      …

  RADIO AND SOUND: TECHNOLOGIES 

  ○      DAB, streaming or LTE broadcasting

  ○      Podcasting distribution

  ○      Sound platforms 

  ○      Internet

  ■      Social media 

  ■      Radio as an app

  ■      (De)materialisation

  ■      Hybrid radio

  ■      …

  ○      Artificial intelligence 

  ■      Radio production and reception

  ■      Trust, information and disinformation

  ■      …

  RADIO AND SOUND: RESEARCH

  ○      Radio and sound as research fields 

  ○      Theories of radio and sound studies

  ○      Political economy of the radio

  ○      Radio and gender studies

  ○      Methodological approaches to sound research

  ○      Digital ethnography

  ○      Digital methods

  ○      Network analysis

  ○      Archiving and oral history

  ○      Radio history

  ○      Journalism

  ○      Radio journalism

  ○      Radio art

  ○      Sound art

  ○      Aural culture and cultural aural expressions

  ○      Reception studies 

  ○      …

  The conference situates radio and sound studies within the broader contemporary media landscape and aims to start a dialogue with, and accept contributions from platform studies, Internet studies, sound studies, social media studies, critical political economy of the media, media history, digital media management, cultural studies, production studies, ethnography, and social sciences.

  IMPORTANT DATES:

  Deadline for abstract submissions: 17 February 2025

  Notification of acceptance (and announcement of Early Bird date): 31 March 2025

  Publication of Programme: w/c 28 April 2025 

  SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

  Proposals for individual papers and panels can be submitted until 17th February 2025 through the conference website’s platform, which will be https://ecrearadioandsound2025.org/ The submission system will be available from early January 2025. Abstracts should be written in English and contain a clear outline of the argument, theoretical framework, and, where applicable, methodology and results. Individual abstracts and panel proposals should be between 300 and 500 words. In the case of a panel, proposals should contain a short summary of the panel and include the 4 or 5 individual contributions (with the title and author’s names of each contribution composing the panel.

  SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE RADIO JOURNAL: INTERNATIONAL STUDIES IN BROADCAST & AUDIO MEDIA 

  We will invite delegates of the Conference to submit their full papers no later than February 2026 to be selected for a special issue of the Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, edited by Intellect 

  (www.intellectbooks.com/radio-journal-international-studies-in-broadcast-audio-media), to be published in the second issue of 2026.

  For further information, please contact the organising committee at this email address: radioandsoundconference@gmail.com

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• Film and Television’s Transformations in the Streaming Era. Reconceiving Aesthetics, Narratives and Forms

  • Start
    08.09.2025
  • End
    09.09.2025
  • Location
    Università di Bologna, Dipartimento delle Arti – DAMSLab

  ECREA Film Studies and Television Studies Sections 2025 Conference

  Organised by Luca Barra, Marco Cucco (Università di Bologna, Italy), Cathrin Bengesser (Aarhus University, Denmark), Deborah Castro (University of Groningen, Netherlands), Miguel Fernández Labayen (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain), Jono Van Belle (Örebro University, Sweden).

  The development and rapid diffusion of audiovisual streaming platforms has undoubtedly been one of the most important events that happened in the film and television landscape over the last thirty years. Specialized companies such as Netflix have emerged, becoming leaders in the market and establishing practices and models soon adopted by other players. Digital retailers like Amazon started producing and distributing film and television products as part of their multifaceted activity. Production companies, film distributors and broadcasters that have long operated in the sector have been forced to rethink both their long-term strategies and their daily operations. Viewers have grown accustomed to different modes of domestic consumption, including lower access prices, the easy availability of a supposedly large choice of content, the accessibility to films and shows anytime and anywhere, and the possibility of binge-viewing to overcome the limits of television schedules and theatrical distribution. All these changes, often presented as revolutionary, have received great attention from film and television scholars around the world, including Europe, stimulating rich and diversified research in many areas: attention has been given to national and global markets, to business models, to changes in production practices and in distribution patterns, to varied audience habits and engagement, to regulatory policies, and so on. As a result, the evolutions in digital screen media have been widely studied at their local, transnational and international levels.

  While the evolving markets, industries, technologies and audiences have been at the center of the analysis on audiovisual platforms, the cultural and textual dimensions have sometimes been overlooked. Therefore, this year two ECREA Sections, Film Studies and Television Studies, exceptionally join forces to organize this conference. It aims to stimulate research contributions on the lesser explored impact that digital audiovisual platforms have had, and still have, on films, on television series, on television shows, and on other screen content (e.g., documentaries, or video-based digital media) through their on-demand logic, catalogues and interfaces. Key questions we ask are: How are new forms of distribution and viewing practices impacting the ways film and television content is created, written, developed, and produced? In which ways are the industrial, regulatory and technological developments changing the aesthetics and textuality of film and television?

  We encourage submissions covering diverse topics, approaches and methodologies, including:

  - the impact of streaming platforms on the format of film and/or television texts;

  - recurrent aesthetic traits tied to, or even fostered by, digital distribution;

  - changes in narrative structures, characters and storylines;

  - the redefinition of genres, and the establishment of new, specific sub-genres;

  - the consequences of changing viewing practices on film and television development;

  - the different value of film, television series and television shows in digital libraries;

  - emerging labels, or the redefinition of previous ones (i.e. quality and prestige content, straight-to-video and made-for-TV movies, serial documentaries and reality television, …);

  - changing production models and changing distribution practices;

  - how the redefinition of policies for the digital market influences film and television texts;

  - the historical development of streaming texts, and possible antecedents in film and TV history;

  - the negotiations between global trends and local specificities;

  - transnational and trans-European case histories in film and television;

  - theoretical frameworks and methodological tools to study change at both textual and contextual level.

  Abstracts should be up to 300 words, plus key references. Proposals should add a short biographical note of the author (max. 150 words). Evaluation will focus on relevance to the conference topic, selection of research objects and clarity in the use of methodology. Only one abstract per author can be submitted. 

  The conference will be in person, with no option for remote presentation. Submission should be made to both email addresses: filmstudiesecrea@gmail.com and ecreaTVstudies@gmail.com, by March 31st, 2025. Notification of acceptance will be sent by April 28th, 2025.

  Moreover, the conference lobby will host a posters exhibition devoted to international research projects funded by national and/or international institutions and other funding bodies. Projects need to involve at least two universities from different countries. Poster proposals should include: project title, name of the funding body, list of partners, project summary (up to 300 words), short bio of the PI/project leader and/or the researchers attending the conference (max 150 words).

  ECREA membership is not required to participate in the conference. A registration fee will be requested upon acceptance (approximately €100) and will include coffee breaks and two lunches.

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• Crisis8 Conference

  • Start
    15.09.2025
  • End
    17.09.2025
  • Location
    Bucharest, Romania

  The Risk and Crisis Communication Section conference will take place in Bucharest, Romania, from September 15-17 2025. Crisis8 will be hosted by the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, SNSPA. The conference aims to bring together scholars, researchers, and practitioners to discuss developments in risk and crisis communication within the evolving communication ecosystem. The conference program includes distinguished keynote speakers, opportunities for networking, as well as engaging social activities. Additional highlights are a workshop on memes and crisis communication, a crisis simulation workshop, and a dedicated PhD workshop. PhD candidates whose abstracts are accepted for presentation at Crisis 8 will have the opportunity to submit their presentation to receive the ‘CCTT Best PhD Paper Award’ ($500), sponsored by the Crisis Communication Think Tank (CCTT). 
  

  All information can be found on the conference website. Deadline for submissions is April 4, 2025.

  https://commcenter.eu/ecrea-crisis-8/conference-call/

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• Beyond Borders: Creative Methods and Reflexive Approaches to Migration, Media, and Intercultural Dialogue

  • Start
    16.09.2025
  • End
    18.09.2025
  • Location
    Tallinn University, Estonia

  Diaspora, Migration, and the Media International and Intercultural Communication Sections Conference

  Website: https://www.tlu.ee/en/bfm/dmmiic

  Recent global challenges and the rise of far-right governments worldwide have intensified the persecution of migrants, transforming borders into harsh zones of exclusion and surveillance. In this climate, migration is increasingly criminalized, and those seeking safety and opportunity are often met with hostility, reinforcing narrow nationalist ideologies. This environment has posed new methodological challenges for research in migration contexts, as well as prompted reflexive considerations on how knowledge is generated, how participants are cared for, and how spaces are created to support human dignity and mobility.
  

  This conference invites researchers to propose abstracts that address methodological and reflexive perspectives in the exploration of multifaceted migration experiences and intercultural communication in the context of migration persecution and border closing. Creative methods, such as digital storytelling, participatory media projects, ethnographic film, and arts-based research, offer rich and nuanced perspectives that address current challenges in migration criminalization. These methods not only capture the complexities of diasporic lives, but also empower communities to express their own narratives and co-create knowledge.

  We encourage contributions that reflect on these innovative approaches to migration and media studies, as they have the potential to deepen our understanding of how identities, relationships, and cultural dialogues are shaped and redefined through media. Beyond methodological approaches, we also encourage researchers to explore more broadly a reflexive analysis of the dynamic intersection of migration, media, and communication.

  We encourage submissions that propose alternative, reflexive creative methodological approaches and critical epistemologies to address topics such as:

  ● Intercultural encounters and intercultural dialogue

  ● Practices of exclusion, surveillance, and persecution at the border

  ● AI, platform affordances, and infrastructures in relation to migration and intercultural communication

  ● Digital counter publics and diasporic activism

  ● Digital communication on intercultural perceptions and interactions

  ● Multilingualism in digital spaces and its implications for social cohesion

  ● Digital transnationalism

   ● Ethical dimensions of researching migration, media, and intercultural dialogue

  ● Identity formation and sense of belonging

  In addition to the conference, we will be hosting a joint workshop for PhD students on the 16th of September 2025, in Tallinn. The workshop will focus on creative methods of research, alternative ways of writing, and reflexive approaches to migration, media, and intercultural dialogue. If you are a PhD student and would like to participate, please submit your application via online submission form. Please note that it is possible for Doctoral researchers to attend both the workshop and the conference, or only one event. More detailed information about the PhD workshop structure will come later.

  Submission guidelines:

  ● Individual Submission: Present your research or insights in an oral presentation to allow for a focused discussion of your work. Submissions should include an abstract (max 400 words including keywords and main references) and a short biographical note (max 100 words). Abstracts should be submitted electronically, using online submission form by 1 February 2025.

  ● Panel: This format encourages a deeper exploration of topics from various perspectives and fosters dynamic interactions among participants. Submissions for panels should include a chairperson, a rationale for the panel (250 words), and the names of four speakers including their abstract (250 words). Submissions for panels should be submitted via online submission form by 1 February 2025.

  ● Workshop: Conduct a 60 to 90-minute workshop that offers hands-on experiences and practical engagement with the theme. This format is ideal for fostering collaboration and active learning among attendees. Workshop submissions should include a chairperson, a rationale for the workshop (250 words), and the names of 5 speakers/participants with each biographical note (max 100 words). Submissions for workshops should be submitted via online submission form by 1 February 2025.

  The conference will be in person only. 

  Conference Deadlines:

  • February 1 - Abstract submission deadline.
  •  early April - Notification of acceptance. 
  • May 1 - Early registration deadline.
    
  • June 15 - Late registration deadline.
    

  We look forward to receiving your contributions!

  Organising committee

  ECREA International and Intercultural Communication

  • Anastassia Zabrodskaja (Tallinn University, Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, Estonia) David Ongenaert (Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
    
  • Melanie Radue (University of Passau, Germany)
    
  • Shomaila Sadaf (University of Jyväskylä, Finland)
    

  ECREA Diaspora, Migration and the Media

  • Sara Marino (University of the Arts London, United Kingdom) Silvia Almenara Niebla (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) Çiğdem Bozdağ (University of Groningen, The Netherlands) Miriana Cascone (Södertörn University, Sweden)
    
  • Claudia Minchilli (University of Groningen, The Netherlands) Rob Sharp (University of Sussex, United Kingdom)
    

  Contact Person: If you have any inquiries, please reach out to the Conference Chair, Professor Anastassia Zabrodskaja, at anastassia.zabrodskaja@tlu.ee.

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• Media Freedom and Pluralism in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Platforms: A New Era for Media Policy/Regulation?

  • Start
    18.09.2025
  • End
    19.09.2025
  • Location
    Brussels, Belgium

  The “Communication Law and Policy” Section of the European Communications Research and Education Association (ECREA) invites abstracts for theoretical and empirical papers to be presented at its next workshop Media Freedom and Pluralism in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Platforms: A New Era for Media Policy/Regulation? This two-day workshop will be a unique opportunity to bring together those researchers investigating the processes of regulating media sectors under the influence of online platforms in Europe and beyond. The workshop will take place in Brussels, Belgium, on 18-19 September 2025. It is hosted by the imec-SMIT research centre and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).

  The workshop invites contributions dealing with media and communication law and policy, and its implementation. This includes submissions from political economy, policy and govern-ance studies, media and communication law, among others. We welcome theoretical, methodological and empirical submissions, case studies and comparative work. Innovative use of methods, and in particular interdisciplinary approaches, are encouraged. See the full call for papers here: https://smit.research.vub.be/en/ecrea-communication-law-and-policy-conference-at-vub-brussels-on-18-19-september-2025

  Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be submitted for blind peer review in DOCX or ODT directly to the organizers of the conference by March 15th, 2025 at the following e-mail address CLPBrussels2025@vub.be.

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• Women's Communication Rights in the Digital Era

  • Start
    18.09.2025
  • End
    19.09.2025
  • Location
    Lisbon, Portugal

  https://womcomrights25.fcsh.unl.pt

  Dates: Thursday 18th & Friday 19th September 2025

  Location: Lisbon, Portugal

  Organizers: ICNOVA (NOVA University Lisbon), CICANT (Lusófona University), and ECREA’s Gender, Sexuality and Communication Section, with support from the DCC section

  Extended Deadline for Submissions: 27 February 2025

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• European Conference on Health Communication

  • Start
    25.09.2025
  • End
    26.09.2025
  • Location
    Braga, Portugal

  The next European Conference on Health Communication will take place on September 25th and 26th (2025) at the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal. The deadline for abstract submission is tomorrow February 28th(2025) and we invite all health communication researchers to submit their work here: https://www.cecs.uminho.pt/echc2025/. We look forward to an inspiring conference! 
  

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• SEC Interim Conference

  • When
    21.10.2025
  • Location
    University of Bergen, Norway

  The Science and Environmental Communication Section (SEC) of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) is pleased to invite abstract submissions for its upcoming interim conference in Norway. The conference will be taking place October 21, 2025, and is hosted by Department of Information Science and Media Studies and the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation (CET), University of Bergen.
  

  The conference will be held in connection with the biannual conference Beyond Oil (October 22-23, 2025) organised by the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation at the University of Bergen. You are welcome to also submit a paper for this conference. (Deadline for abstracts for Beyond Oil is March 28, 2025. Check website for submission guidelines).

  This year the ECREA SEC interim conference has no thematic call. We invite papers that align with our host conference (Beyond oil) or relate to core topics of our thematic section. Examples of topic areas include, but are far from restricted to:

  • media representations of science and the environment
  • science and environment reporting, alternative and citizen’s media
  • political and commercial discourse on the environment
  • dialogic, participatory approaches to the communication of research-based knowledge
  • communication, democracy and research governance
  • public engagement with science and the environment
  • environmental and science activism
  • visualization and environment communication
  • the digital turn in science and environment communication
  • digital capitalism and the environment
  • sustainability and media
  • Southern/non-Western and Western approaches to science and environment communication
  • (de-)politicization of the environment
  • the environment and the political

  Abstract, including title, name, affiliation, and email of presenter(s), should be no longer than 400 words (excl. references) outlining research questions, methodology and the expected contributions of the presentation. 

  To submit a panel please provide a description of the panel (aim, scope, contribution) no longer than 400 words (excl. references) alongside a 150-word description of each paper (including title, name, affiliation, and email).

  Submission should be sent to the following emails (Eskjaer@ikp.aau.dk and miguel.vicente@uva.es) before May 1, 2025.

  Important dates:

  • Submission deadline: 01.05.2025
  • Notifications on abstracts: 01.06.2025
  • Registration for conference: 01.10.2025
  • ECREA SEC Interim conference: 21.10.2025
  • Beyond Oil conference: 22-23.10.2025

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• Navigating Algorithmic Society: Audiences’ tactics to understanding the world

  • Start
    30.10.2025
  • End
    31.10.2025
  • Location
    Stockholm, Sweden

  Deadline: May 1, 2025 

  The conference aims to foster engaged debates about, and a comprehensive understanding of, challenges related to the quickly transforming algorithmic society, for media users across Europe. We welcome a wide range of approaches and look forward to discussions that will contribute to scientific analysis of our contemporary media world. 

  Read more: https://www.sh.se/english/sodertorn-university/calendar/events/2025-10-30-ecrea-audience-and-reception-studies-2025 

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