Global Media & Communication

How do media producers appeal to international audiences in the streaming era?

In this episode of the Global Media & Communication podcast, our host Juan Llamas-Rodriguez interviews Elia Cornelio Marí about her research on Mexican melodramas, Netflix algorithms, and television in translation.

In this episode you will hear about:

Why melodrama became an important genre in the development of Netflix’s original series across Latin America

How translation affects the reception of television in Mexico and Italy

The concept of “cultural proximity” and how it helps explain what TV series become popular across different national cultures

The Global Media & Communication podcast series is a multimodal project powered by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. At CARGC, we produce and promote critical, interdisciplinary, and multimodal research on global media and communication. We aim to bridge academic scholarship and public life, bringing the best scholarship to bear on enduring global questions and pressing contemporary issues.

Guest Biography:

Elia Cornelio Marí is Assistant Professor at the Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Mexico. She holds a PhD in Communication, Technology and Society by La Sapienza University of Rome, and a M.A. in Media Studies by the University of Texas at Austin. She specializes in television studies. Her publications focus on the original production of Netflix for Mexico, the reception of dubbed television by international audiences, and the practice of binge-watching among college students. She is a member of RELATA, the Latin American Network of Audience and Reception Studies.

Host Biography:

Juan Llamas-Rodriguez is a researcher and educator interested in how media theories allow us to critically analyze social phenomena on a global scale. He works as assistant professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and associate director of the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Border Tunnels: A Media Theory of the US-Mexico Underground (University of Minnesota Press, 2023) and Y Tu Mamá También: A Queer Film Classic (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2025), and editor of Media Travels: Toward an Atlas of Global Media (Amherst College Press, 2025).

CreditsInterview by: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez

Produced by: Juan Llamas-RodriguezEdited by: Anna Gamarnik

Keywords: algorithms, animation, dubbing, Mexico, Netflix, translation
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Welcome to the Global Media & Communication podcast series, a multimodal project powered by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. At CARGC, we produce and promote critical, interdisciplinary, and multimodal research on global media and communication. We aim to bridge academic scholarship and public life, bringing the best scholarship to bear on enduring global questions and pressing contemporary issues.
Today, our host Juan Llamas-Rodriguez interviews Martín Echeverría about his book Political Entertainment in a Post Authoritarian Democracy: Humor in the Mexican Media (Routledge, 2024), co-written with Frida Rodelo.
In this episode you will hear about:

The affordances and limitations of YouTube for the political media ecosystem

The role of memes in generating political interest among politically disinterested groups

How people’s distrust of news organizations impact the communication environment for political news

How restrictions on political speech have shifted in Mexico in the last few decades

Guest Biography:
Martín Echeverría is the Head of the Center for Studies in Political Communication at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico. He holds a PhD in Communication and Culture from the University of Seville, Spain, and serves as Co-Chair of the Political Communication Section of the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). His research, which focuses on the mediatization of politics, media systems, and the reception and political effects of media, has been published in leading journals such as The International Journal of Press/Politics, International Journal of Communication, Journalism Studies, and top Latin American outlets. He is the author and editor of several books, including Media and Politics in Post-Authoritarian Mexico: The Continuing Struggle for Democracy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) and Political Entertainment in a Post-Authoritarian Democracy (Routledge, 2023), the latter receiving the AEJMC 2024 Knudson Award for the best book on Latin American media in the United States.
Host Biography:
Juan Llamas-Rodriguez is a researcher and educator interested in how media theories allow us to critically analyze social phenomena on a global scale. He works as assistant professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and associate director of the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Border Tunnels: A Media Theory of the US-Mexico Underground (University of Minnesota Press, 2023) and Y Tu Mamá También: A Queer Film Classic (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2025), and editor of Media Travels: Toward an Atlas of Global Media (Amherst College Press, 2025).
Credits

Interview by: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez

Produced by: Juan Llamas-Rodriguez 

Edited by: Anna Gamarnik

Keywords: authoritarianism, memes, Mexico, political communication, political satire, YouTube
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This is the Global Media & Communication podcast series. This podcast is a multimodal project powered by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. At CARGC, we produce and promote critical, interdisciplinary, and multimodal research on global media and communication. We aim to bridge academic scholarship and public life, bringing the best scholarship to bear on enduring global questions and pressing contemporary issues.
Today, our hosts, Anjali DasSarma and Sim Gill, present the second episode in a two-part series on neoliberalism and the state of the university as a deeply powerful structure, along with two incredible scholars: Professor Natalie Fenton and Professor Alison Hearn.
In this episode, we delve into the intricate mechanisms of capitalism, unpacking how metrics, the pressure to "publish or perish," and intellectual extraction shape the academic landscape. From the commodification of knowledge to the erosion of job security, we'll shine a light on some of the systemic forces at play in higher education. We also unpack the rhetoric surrounding Elon Musk and his impact on the age of artificial intelligence, to consider how AI tools like ChatGPT are shifting debates about teaching and student evaluation methods.
Amidst these challenges, we'll also uncover the power of the ideological project of hope. Join us as we engage in a thought-provoking discussion on information, communication, and knowledge production.
In this episode you will hear about:

AI and job security

How metrics, “publishing or perishing,” and intellectual extraction function under capitalism

What the ideological project of hope offers us

Community organizing, resistance, and learning

Guest Biographies:
Natalie Fenton: Natalie is a Professor of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths University.
Alison Hearn: Alison is a professor in the Department of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario.
Host Biographies:
Anjali DasSarma: Anjali DasSarma is a doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sim Gill: Sim Gill is a doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and a research fellow at the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) and the Center on Digital Culture and Society.
Credits

Interview by: Anjali DasSarma and Sim Gill Produced by: Eszter Zimanyi 

Edited by: Anjali DasSarma and Matt Parker

Sound Mixing by: Matt Parker

Music by: Zoe Zhao Blog post written by: Anjali DasSarma and Sim Gill

Keywords: neoliberalism, higher education, artificial intelligence, community organizing
This episode was recorded on November 15th, 2023 at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.
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This is the Global Media & Communication podcast series. This podcast is a multimodal project powered by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. At CARGC, we produce and promote critical, interdisciplinary, and multimodal research on global media and communication. We aim to bridge academic scholarship and public life, bringing the best scholarship to bear on enduring global questions and pressing contemporary issues.
Today, our hosts, Anjali DasSarma and Sim Gill, present the first of two episodes on neoliberalism and the state of the university as a deeply powerful structure, along with two incredible scholars: Professor Natalie Fenton and Professor Alison Hearn.
In this episode, we explore the complex realm of neoliberalism and its profound impact on education systems in the UK, Canada, and the US. Join us as we unpack how neoliberal ideologies have transformed the very essence of the student experience.
Neoliberal policies have reshaped the landscape of education, redefining relationships between students, faculty, and institutions. But what does this actually mean for the individuals learning and working within these institutions?
Join us for an exciting conversation as we explore the complex and pressing issues shaping our academic worlds today.
In this episode you will hear about:

How Fenton and Hearn define and understand the university within neoliberalism

The material working conditions of faculty, students, and other laborers across UK, Canadian, and US contexts

Unionizing and what it means to work as a collective

The Research Excellence Framework and Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario

Capitalism and the university as a corporation

Guest Biographies:
Natalie Fenton: Natalie is a Professor of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths University.
Alison Hearn: Alison is a professor in the Department of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario.
Host Biographies:
Anjali DasSarma: Anjali DasSarma is a doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sim Gill: Sim Gill is a doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and a research fellow at the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) and the Center on Digital Culture and Society.
Credits
Interview by: Anjali DasSarma and Sim Gill
Produced by: Eszter Zimanyi
Edited by: Anjali DasSarma and Matt Parker
Sound Mixing by: Matt Parker
Music by: Zoe Zhao
Blog post written by: Anjali DasSarma and Sim Gill
Keywords: neoliberalism, higher education, labor rights
This episode was recorded on November 15th, 2023 at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Global Media & Communication podcast series. This podcast is a multimodal project powered by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. At CARGC, we produce and promote critical, interdisciplinary, and multimodal research on global media and communication. We aim to bridge academic scholarship and public life, bringing the best scholarship to bear on enduring global questions and pressing contemporary issues.
In this episode, Professor Bishnupriya Ghosh joins our host, Zehra Husain, to discuss her latest book, The Virus Touch: Theorizing Epidemic Media (Duke UP, 2023).
Over the course of the interview, you’ll learn about:

The origins of the book and how Ghosh became interested in the body as a material medium

The importance of conceptualizing global epidemics in multiscalar ways

What Ghosh means by multispecies relationality and “lively media”

The distinctions between the “global” and the “planetary”

Ghosh’s research process for the book and her thoughts on using an ethnographic mode

The media archive Ghosh assembled while conducting research for the book

How and why Ghosh conceptualizes blood as media in the book

The expansive sites, scales, and temporalities that Ghosh tracks across The Virus Touch

…and much more!
About the book
“In The Virus Touch Bishnupriya Ghosh argues that media are central to understanding emergent relations between viruses, humans, and nonhuman life. Writing in the shadow of the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 global pandemics, Ghosh theorizes “epidemic media” to show how epidemics are mediated in images, numbers, and movements through the processes of reading test results and tracking infection and mortality rates. Scientific, artistic, and activist epidemic media that make multispecies relations sensible and manageable eschew anthropocentric survival strategies and instead recast global public health crises as biological, social, and ecological catastrophes, pushing us toward a multispecies politics of health. Ghosh trains her analytic gaze on these mediations as expressed in the collection and analysis of blood samples as a form of viral media; the geospatialization of data that track viral hosts like wild primates; and the use of multisensory images to trace fluctuations in viral mutations. Studying how epidemic media inscribe, store, and transmit multispecies relations attunes us to the anthropogenic drivers of pathogenicity like deforestation or illegal wildlife trading and the vulnerabilities accruing from diseases that arise from socioeconomic inequities and biopolitical neglect.” Learn more about the book on the publisher’s website!
Guest Biography
Bishnupriya Ghosh publishes in global media cultures, environmental media, and critical health studies.
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