A study on the public's perception of the trot genre and the trot audition program
Authors:   The Korean Association for the Study of Popular Music, Park Kwan Ik , Yang Won Mo , Lee Jun Young 
Published: June 2022

This study is based on perceptions toward the trot genre and audition programs; accordingly, it is expected that the problems caused by biased media production can be predicted. First, this study’s results revealed the general perception of the public about the trot genre. It was observed that viewers tend to enjoy trot-related entertainment shows more than trot music itself. Notably, it can be a result of the fact that the trot craze began with the creation of trot singing stars on audition programs. Furthermore, this can be considered as evidence that reflects the current trend of trot popularity. Analyzing the results of the study on viewer attitude toward trot-related programs, there was a mix of negative and positive findings. The positive results include the popularity of trot shows that people from different generations can enjoy together, as there are now more trot programs than before that encompass all generations. The negative results include viewer aversion to trot itself or to excessive programming, which was caused by broadcasting stations deciding to produce too many programs that feature trot singers. In particular, the high negative perception toward entertainment featuring trot singers is an inevitable result of these media practices. In addition, the statement, “I don’t watch the trot-related TV programs because I don’t like the broadcasting station” was commonly given. This may be because the production of trot-related programs was started mainly by general programming cable TV channels. These TV channels have the freedom to make whatever shows they want, and they have produced countless trot-related TV shows. The TV shows produced by the general programming cable TV channels, unlike the ones made by the three major land-based TV stations of South Korea-KBS, MBC, and SBS-have unique characteristics based on each specific broadcasting station. Subsequently, this creates differences in individual preferences for different trot-related TV shows. The study also shows that viewers do not believe that success in these programs guarantees that the winners will become stars. This shows that the excessive production of trot-related TV programs has made it hard for viewers to recognize who has won the audition. Contrary to the negative perception of these trot-related programs, a very positive evaluation was given in terms of the fairness of the judging. Through the combination of the overall perception concerning trot itself and the perception of trot-related media programs, the results of this study reflect the popularity of the current trot genre. Importantly, viewer perception towards the media related to trot was negative. Contrary to the current high popularity of the trot genre, the existence of negative perceptions regarding trot-related media content has significant implications for media content production. This study has academic significance; principally, it is an empirical analysis of the trot craze that has gripped the Korean music industry.