Transcript Television
Television
Unit 5
TV Programming
Television programming
From
is based on borrowing
radio (in the case of early TV)
From old program ideas (like the police drama, or the
hospital drama)
From other programmers (like how American Idol and
The Office are based on shows from Britain)
TV’s Good and Evil
Provides a
common
ground for the
populace to
“experience” cultural
events (like the 9/11
crisis)
May
be responsible
for contributing to
society’s ills:
Teen
pregnancy
Criminal violence
Historical Data
1948
1% of all households have a TV
1953 50+%
Early 1960’s 90+%
The Science
Broadcast TV
signals travel through the airwaves,
like radio signals do, so only a limited number of
stations can exist in any one market.
Cable assigns stations in a wired system
VHF
The FCC
(Federal Communications Commission)
set aside thirteen channels for “very high
frequency” black and white TV transmission
Result: Regional stations fought for rights to one
of the thirteen; the FCC “froze” licensing
FCC’s Effect
Cities w/
no stations saw increased attendance at
movie theaters (Portland, Oregon and Little Rock,
Arkansas, for example)
Cities w/ many TV stations
Decreased
movie attendance
Decreased taxi and nightclub receipts
Decreased library book circulation
UHF
FCC
ends freeze, adds seventy “ultra-high
frequency” stations above 13
NOTE: For almost twelve years, the FCC didn’t
require TV manufacturers to include UHF
capability, so UHF stations struggled
More History
By
the mid-50’s, after the freeze, there were
about 400 TV stations in operation
That is 400% higher than the pre-FCC freeze!
Today, more
than 1,700 broadcast stations are in
operation across the U.S., including 300+
nonprofits
Sponsorship
Early
shows were usually conceived, produced,
and supported by a single sponsor:
The
Buick Circus Hour
The Camel News Caravan
The Colgate Comedy Hour
DOWNSIDE: All
control over programming is in
the hands of the advertiser/sponsor
Sponsorship Declines
Show
length increased from 15 to 30 minutes,
significantly raising ad and sponsorship costs
Shows were aired daily rather than weekly. The
“magazine” show, like the Today show, which had news,
talk, comedy, music, etc., and ran daily, made the costs
for advertisers out of reach
Stations would buy “specials” and sell ad space to
multiple corporations. (Like a Christmas special hosted
by Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra)
Scandals End Sponsorship
Quiz
shows – cheap to produce w/ simple sets and nonactors as guests; one sponsor (see paragraph 2, pg 167)
To get rid of non-interesting guests, the more appealing
contestants were rehearsed and given answers
The “rigging” of the shows became a scandal, as
everyone realized they might be watching “fake” games
TV News
Since the
60’s, polls have shown that people
“trust” the TV news more than newspapers or
radio news
The news “anchor” is the one personality who
delivers the news, usually from a desk
Famous news anchors include David Brinkley,
Walter Cronkite, and Tom Brokaw
TV News, cont’d.
A central broadcast is
often taped then aired on
affiliate stations – independently owned stations
that sign contracts w/ a network and carry its
programs
TV newsmagazines draw viewers:
Usually
only a few stories, covered equally:
Hard-hitting,
investigative story (like corruption)
Soft, entertainment-focused story
Soft, “homey” story of an “average Joe”
Televised Comedies
Sketch comedy
– small skits and performances
fill the programming time; similar to a Vaudeville
stage performance on screen; expensive!
Milton
Berle
Sid Ceasar
Red Skelton
Famous writers: Mel Brooks, Woody Allen
Televised Comedies, cont’d
Situation comedy
– recurring cast; establishes a
situation, complicates it, develops increasing
confusion among characters, then finally
alleviates (solves) the complication
I
Love Lucy, Beverly Hillbillies, Happy Days, Seinfeld,
Will & Grace, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Television Comedies, cont’d
Domestic comedy
– a spin-off of situation;
typically a family crisis or personal problem;
focuses more on character development and
setting
All
in the Family, Leave It To Beaver, Everybody
Loves Raymond, Just Shoot Me, Spin City, Frasier
Television Drama
In
early 50’s TV served a wealthier audience (like
cable TV did in the 80’s)
Live, dramatic theater – actors play out a script
Expensive to produce
Often presented stories that confronted complex
problems not easy to resolve = not a formula for
popularity!
Anthology Drama’s Pitfalls
Expensive to
produce
Often presented stories that confronted complex
problems not easy to resolve = controversial
The seriousness of the subjects clashed with the
perfect, happy world of the advertisements
Only supported by a limited, wealthier audience
Episodic Series
Main
characters continue from week to week
Sets and locales remain static
Characters remain the same = audience can
identify easily with them
Types of Episodic Series
Chapter
shows – self-contained shows that
feature a problem, a series of conflicts, then a
resolution
Gunsmoke
(1955-1975)
Little House on the Prairie (1974-1982)
Dragnet (1951-1959, 1967-1970)
C.S.I. (2000- )
The X-Files (1993-2002)
Types of Episodic Series
Serial
programs – open-ended shows where
story lines continue from episode to episode
Cliff-hanger
story lines, intimate close-up shots
Reflect the open-ended rhythms of our lives
All soap operas are serials
Syndication
When a
station purchases the rights to air a show
that has already been seen on another station or
network
Shows in syndication are “stripped” – episodes
can be shown five days a week in any order
Serials can’t be “stripped” b/c they must be
watched in order
Miniseries
A serial
that runs over a two-day to two-week
period, usually on consecutive nights
Roots
(based on the Alex Haley novel)
Miniseries success resulted in
serials:
Dallas
(1978-1991)
Dynasty (1981-1989)
weekly prime-time
“Hybrid” Series
Mixes
comic situations and serious plots
Many characters
Like an open-ended soap opera – not all
crimes/situations solved in one episode
Characters die, new ones arrive
Hill
Street Blues (1981-1987), NYPD Blue (1993-2005)
ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, West Wing, Alias, House
The Networks
The Networks’ control over
content was strongest
from the late 1950’s to the late 70’s
ABC, NBC, and CBS dictated all trends in
broadcast programming
Network Decline
1963
– Networks account for 95% of prime-time
viewing
2005 – Networks account for only 45% of primetime viewing
Network Decline
FCC
ruling that removed barriers to cable TV
Independent stations like Ted Turner’s WTBS in
Atlanta aired Braves and Hawks games, old TV
reruns, and wrestling for free via satellite/cable.
(Later charged fees)
VHS and VCRs
Enable
viewers to tape-record TV programs to
play back later – called time-shifting
Movie rental market booms
Advertisers formerly on TV get nervous! WHY?
People can FF>> through the ads!
DVRs
Digital
Video Recorders
Enable
users to record onto the computer memory
rather than on bulky tapes
Can seek out specific shows and record them – say,
search for all C.S.I. episodes and record them all
New ones allow you to make DVD collections of your
favorite shows
Government Limits Networks
FCC
gave the 7:30-8:00pm time slot to local stations
Result:
Most aired infotainment programs like P.M. Magazine;
Entertainment Tonight and sold ad time to local businesses
“Fin-Syn”
rules reduced the amount networks could
charge for local stations to air syndicated programs
Limited the networks’ production of non-news shows to
only a few hours/week
Mega-Deals
1987: Rupert
Murdoch of News Corp. launches
Fox, buys several TV stations, and purchases the
film studio Twentieth-Century Fox
Result: A major
1995: Disney
Result:
new threat to the “big-three” networks
buys ABC
Disney uses its resources to develop new
shows, pushing out independent producers
Fox’s Key to Success
With
its limited stations, Fox airs shows for the youth and
minority markets, building a viewer base:
The
Simpsons
Beverly Hills 90210
In Living Color
Martin
Roc
Melrose Place
New Players in 1995 Paramount
(Viacom) starts UPN, and Time Warner starts
WB
Similar strategy: target the young and minorities
Moesha,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Felicity, Dawson’s
Creek, Charmed, Smallville, Girlfriends, Gilmore Girls
B/c
of lack of success, they are now merged as “The
CW” – top show? “America’s Next Top Model”