SA-PA-JOKE: An Innovative of Political Edutainment

Abstract

SA-PA-JOKE, an innovation of political entertainment broadcast on public television, provides
an opportunity to study the political, economic, and social contexts which affect its production. Research
can also focus on the process of innovation through the convention of David K. Berlo’s S-M-C-R communications
model (S-Sender, M- Message, C-Channel, R-Receiver) by studying the effects of Sa-Pa-
Joke as a means to communicate political information through entertainment, Such knowledge could
then be used to improve the program’s format so that it is more entertaining and conforms to audience
demands, based on data collected by questionnaire, which, in turn, relates to improving their perceptions
of the news.
Information about audience attitudes toward the program was collected by administering a
questionnaire to 1,688 people aged 18 years and older who lived in Bangkok and the surrounding area.
Additional information was collected by questionnaires and in-depth interviews with target groups, including
academicians, eight experts in mass communication, eight specialists and producers in the
entertainment industry, and 18 participants in the SA-PA-JOKE television program. Triangulation was
used as a qualitative check by considering the different data sources mentioned above.
The research results found that many factors affected the production of SA-PA-JOKE. These
factors included the format of the program, producers and participants in SA-PA-JOKE, the content of
the program, the benefits of improving the democratic system of government and the managing strategies
that inflfflluence the production of SA-PA-JOKE. The research also found that factors inffllfluencing the
program were the format of the program, which was different from other entertainment programs, the
moderator, the participants and the content of the program as it presented news or information about
stressful topics related to politics and the economy in an enjoyable way.