Cui and Lee (2010), "Negotiation of media power in the case of Super Girls’ Voice in China"

Cui and Lee (2010) use the Chinese television program Super Girls' Voice to explore the relationship between media producers and audiences. Though the author's note that the show was celebrated for altering the relationship between audience and producers in China, Cui and Lee (2010) believe that this is an overly optimistic conclusion.

1. There is a line between ordinary audience and extraordinary media. Super Girls' Voice broke this pattern.

The authors use Couldry's concept of media power, which argues that media representations maintain distinction between the media and ordinary people. They argue that Super Girls' Voice appeared to overcome this barrier by using contestants who appeared more genuine and nature. Cui and Lee's (2010) reception analysis demonstrated that readers liked the competitors who appeared ordinary.

2. As the show concluded, it reinscribed the barrier between audience and media by framing the competitors as celebrity stars.

Cui and Lee (2010) argue that the show reinstated its boundary through its handling of the competitors in the finale. While the competitors had been framed as ordinary and authentic, they were reframed as members of the media elite.