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University media in Ecuador: Types, functions and self-determination

Abstract:

The university media are actors that, being attached to Higher Education Institutions (HEI), try to find a balance between media and education. This situation generates a series of peculiarities that differentiate them from their commercial counterparts. The present article proposes to define the types, functions and self-determination of the Ecuadorian university media, through a documentary review of the researches developed in this field, and the application of structured interviews to its directors. The results allow identifying the characteristics of the Ecuadorian university media, marked by the institutional model that is ascribed to the academic units, a range of functions that respond to institutional needs, and a self-determination that, at times, differs from the HEI type. which is ascribed to align with the community or generate a mixture beyond what is determined in current Ecuadorian regulations, ratifying their status as differentiated actors in the national media scenario.