Hi everyone,
An interesting point to consider in relation to this week's lecture is whether you think any examples of the safe, genre-based, broad-reaching style of programming seen in the TVI era is still identifiable today? What programmes would you use as evidence to support (or argue against) these claims? Post your thoughts about this issue here.
Best,
Ross
11 comments:
By the end of this post there will be examples defending the argument there are programmes identifiable today which would have fit into the TVI era. Sources of information will stem from flicking through an up to date television guide, academic as well as being in the mindset of a casual viewer.
During the 1950s until the 1960s, television was defined as the TVI era. In that time television programmes were for the family and offered casual viewing in for example a Western series such as “Bonanza”. Part one of ‘The Flapjack Contest’ episode alone within season six of this Western drama, made it obvious that it could not attract a loyal and large enough audience. As it seemed unlikely a flapjack contest could develop on for more than one episode.
Between 1955 and 1975 television would be accessed by large groups of people in households. Sometimes invitations were accepted by neighbors, friends and family to join another household in viewing television (Adler, 2011). But throughout much of the TVII era followed by the TVII era we are now in, nearly every individual in their bedroom owns a television.
Casual viewing is when an audience will tune in to their television set, without a loyal interest in an upcoming programme. These viewers may ‘channel surf’ until finding an enjoyable programme to attentively watch or uses as ‘background noise’ (Palmer, 2006). Sometimes their viewing attention is divided perhaps between studying, cooking, completing other chores, or getting dressed. The casual viewer is the complete opposite to directed viewers who plan out to view a particular line up of programming.
A majority of programmes accessible through the multi-channel platforms, each cater towards a specific audience. Whilst a majority of programmes are distinct in genre, class, or of age, there is still the minority (casual viewers). Television becomes ‘background noise’ or just something to sit down to and have one of those, ‘put your feet up’ moments.
Instantly recalling, “You’ve Been Framed” even with its comedy content is still a casual viewing type. The audience does not have a vested interest in viewing posted in video clips where people are either falling over, or walking into objects causing injuries. Nor will an individual be interested on a loyal level to view pets getting into play fights or causing a scene in the owner’s home.
Nearly every weekend between autumn and winter seasons, “Harry Hill’s TV Burp” provides a hilarious review of television dramas and soaps: mocking characters, the quotes from characters, or the themes. It is time scheduled always before “The X Factor”, which is a programme that gains an audience through an intense singing competition between members of the public who are - narrowed down to compete in live shows for votes. “The X Factor”, “Strictly Come Dancing”, “Britain’s Got Talent” each are programmes that can attract the same audience, implying these are not casual viewing programs (TV Buzz TV Listing Guide, 8th October).
Overall at a small number there are programmes currently identified for raking in casual viewers. However these programs seem to be entertainment programs or family type viewing, since for example, sci-fi content would usually be viewed over on the sci-fi channel. Or as another example, cookery based viewing would appear over on a food channel. Programmes made for casual viewing will rarely be identified on a genre based channel.
(Assignment) Danielle Greenhill
Jessica Worrall
Firstly reflecting on what I saw during the lecture where we saw clips of bonanza. It’s clear to identify It’s a type of show that you can watch one week and miss another week, but when you watch it next time you will have not missed any continual theme, as they broadcast a type of “one off” topic, which concludes for easy viewing for all the family. This ultimately fitted the TVI era mass audience aim.
Which in today’s modern age I still believe many shows are produced and are TV1 era based. I have found this out by mainly studying evening television; as this is the time were in a majority of families everyone will be at home. Many shows like Simpsons, Harry’s TV Burp, Oops TV and New! You’ve Been Framed are all very easy viewing type of television shows like bonanza and shown in the evening around 6pm when the family are at home. They are all very similar and family friendly and consist of easy-going laughter. You don’t have to be a fan necessarily to watch them; you don’t need keep up to date with the shows in and out every day or record it, as it is not script/drama based.
Like the Bonanza programme from TV1 era they all include mainly a ridiculous theme like in Bonanza it was a flap jack contest and similarly in the Simpson it was homer trying to make a career out of being a clown. They are solely made to give the whole family a bit of giggle and are usually shown either weekday or weekend just before the prime-time before the niche shows and dramas come on that adults/teenagers prefer to watch and before the children go to bed. They are there to draw in the mass audience (everyone) and bring in average ratings. I found that they are easily identified due to the times there on, the average comedy drama and the duration of the show that is roughly around thirty minutes.
I personally think that the TVI type of era shows will be around for a much longer period as they are made to fill gaps and give people a short amount of entertainment before there favourite shows and entertain the children.
For the safe, TVI like, genre-based programming to die – it is almost impossible. As far as I understand, nowadays, in our society, it is strongly believed that the majority of people would never voluntarily say no for the easy, mindless hour in front of TV. Especially considering the epoch (when each family is most likely to have more than one item). However, television, while time passes by, still becomes even more non-special, as this happens, there start to exist several modes of watching: one of the most amusing is keeping TV on for the background noise or for the truths sake - the modest version of that: for staring blankly at whatever might be on.
Rather chaotic and episodic watching was considered appropiate in TVI era, supposedly this is the main reason, why most of TV series were having and still have a model where audience always finds the same characters with everchanging common life routines, but in each episode they are experiencing very different types of adventures usually refering in the title of the episode. Supporting example might be found in both: TVI era as popular I dream of Jeannie episode ''Too many Tonys'' (as there protagonist Jeannie creates a replica of the astronaut Tony, who does everything she wants him to do) and nowadays in TV series Friends episode ''The one with vows'' (as characters Monica and Chandler are actually creating the vows for their wedding). So, this stated model is very advantageous when watching a show sporadically as the audience is still able to catch a clue of what they are watching without knowing the previous narrative.
But can we still call our era's programming a safe, 'vast wasteland' kind of production? However, this is a doubtful question. In our society there exist so much different kinds of TV entertaining and even more distinct interpretations of them (for example: Jesus TV might be considered as a safe, genre-based, friendly and relaxing, spiritually educating kind of programming,- or just an offensive propaganda for others) that we can no longer make a strict statement about any kind of show, even about TVI era shows, which are already labeled as safe pieces for mass audiences.
All in all, a viewer from time to time is still looking for an easy, escapist-like type of entertaining or relaxing. So mass programming is naturally identifiable and as long as 'safe and easy' is a norm, such phenomenon will be alive.
It’s clear that TVI era has had an effect on television today. Television definitely has expanded with its target audiences and styles of programming but some programs that appear on our screen at present can still reflect programming in the TVI era. Although the script and programming style can vary from the TVI era, Bonanza and I Love Lucy from the 50s, and Friends, The Simpsons, Holiday Showdown, as well as The X Factor from present are all safe, easy watching, family programs. Especially taking into consideration that most of them air evening time when all family members are at home.
Introduced to one episode of Bonanza, one can definitely say that it’s a safe choice for any audience. It reflects people’s lives so everyone can find something in common with one of its characters where they can relate to themselves in different on-screen happenings. It’s also easy to watch because each episode is written individually, meaning there’s no continuity in the following one. To bring an example from today’s programming, one can argue if Friends fits into the same category. It has the TVI characteristics - it’s entertaining, safe, and could also be a family program. Like characters in Bonanza, a lot of us can relate to happenings in Friends as well, because the era reflects our likings.
Some programs though have remained their original context from the 50s and 60s. For example, the NBC program The Tonight Show was the first talk show to launch in the 1950s. These types of programs still have their narrative, that is they are entertaining, and for everyone, as various topics get discussed such as celebrities, nature, current affirs and so on. A few examples from this genre at present include the popular Oprah Winfrey Show and This Morning on ITV. There is a huge variety of talk shows out there at present, so the particular context of the TVI era has remained extremely popular.
Although TVI era was very much a family activity, just a fairly small part of a day, television itself at present is the opposite of that. There are not many families nowadays who do not have a television in their sitting room at least. From TVI era it greatly has changed, meaning that the television has become a part of the furniture. It can be just a background noise whereas any television programs in the 1950s aimed to engage family members together for great television time.
Although television has gone through a transformation from TVI era all the way to TVIII era, there are still television shows that continue showcasing the same characteristic that were identifiable to TVI, which is also known as The ‘Network’ era. TVI era was known for safe, mass-audience targeted TV-shows which would bring as many viewers as possible and that way the most money from advertisers to networks. “They looked to fill their schedules with shows that offered the ‘least objectionable programming’ possible – shows that made it on the air promised both to appeal to as many average viewers as possible and to attract a broad range of sponsors to buy commercial time.”(Mittel 2003) This formula was challenged to change after changes in legislation as well as development in broadcasting technology, but it didn’t vanish completely, it only lost its place at the prime time spotlight.
Nowadays these kind of shows are placed on the mid-day spot and they’re agenda is to get as much viewers as possible at the time of the day when there’s least people watching television. The shows are mostly ‘easy to swallow’ comedies that don’t use foul language or subjects, soap operas or family drama shows. They’re also very much like the shows on TVI era by the way they’re produced. The shows are all very similar with each other as are also the episodes within the show. One episode usually follows a very linear plot where a problem first raises at the beginning and is then solved at the end. Exceptions are the soap operas where the same storyline continues true the whole season, sometimes even true seasons. Issues dressed in the episodes are common love and family problems that most people can identify with. This is the most common factor for these shows since it’s the key for getting a wide –ranging audience.
From comedy show field, the most famous example of these types of shows is probably The Friends or Everybody Loves Raymond. These shows set the standards for other shows that follow the same style of easy, safe and mass-audience seeking comedy, and even though these shows were still able to own their place on the primetime, their many followers have had to settle for the mid-day spot. From the field of soap operas, it’s appropriate to mention shows like Bold and the Beautiful and The Days of Our Lives. Both of these shows have continued for centuries and kept they’re mid-day spot on the ever changing world of television. Of course, all of these examples are from American television but because of the dominance that US television shows have almost all over the world, these examples can also be applied to other countries in some extent.
REFERENCE LIST
Mittell, J. (2003) The ‘Classic Network System’ in the US. In: Hilmes, M. (ed.) The Television History Book. London: BFI, pp. 44-49.
The “Network” era, also known as the TV1 era was the base of USA television. From Reeves, Rogers and Epstein (1996) we find out that the first era in television appeared in 1950’s, reached the top in 1960’s and slowly was displaced in the 1970’s.The speed of technology evolution, government deregulations and manufacturing processes asked the television to evaluate and nowadays we fit in the third TV era.
At the beginning the range of TV programs was limited and people were watching on the small screen without having such a great interest about the shows, unless a “special event” had attracted the public.
At the middle of first era in television TV series like “The Doctors”(1963),” Calendar” , or game shows : “100 Grand” or “Chain letter” , made in few years that the market and the audience to ask for something new.
As a bridge between TV1 and TV3 was TV2 were the technology added new programs new ways of expanding and new perspectives for television.
TV3 era started once with the middle of 1990s when the television industry went again under a number of important changes: digital distribution methods, narrowcasting or the emerge of branding .Mitchell Stephens notifies: “It was only in the 1990s that the spread of television transmitters, television sets, and electricity made it possible for half of the individuals in the world to watch television. However, television's attraction globally is strong. Those human beings who have a television set watch it, by one estimate, for an average of two-and-a-half hours a day.”
Big TV shows that now are transmitted worldwide like “True Blood”, made people to change themselves and to spend more and more time in front of the small screen. Also the introduction of the branding changed the image of the television making from it money making machine, the fastest way of spreading the news and the easiest path of relaxing inside the family.
References:
Mitchell Stephens (1998) – “Fall of the word”
The TVI era was renowned for its mass production of ‘safe programming’, intended to appeal to a wide audience, for the purpose of funding through advertising. Programmes such as Bonanza which were suitable for the whole family would frequently be shown in households for the purposes of casual viewing, where viewers would watch inattentively or simply as ‘background noise’ (Palmer, 2006). However, today in the TVIII era, changes in syndication laws and an advance in technology allow for a wider variety of programmes on a wider variety of channels, meaning that different programmes are able to target more specific or ‘niche’ audiences, and a higher quality of programming, in terms of content and transmition, to be introduced.
Although it could be argued that some traces of the TVI era style of broadcasting are still going strong today. Sitcoms are a good example of this, shows such ‘Friends’ and ‘Scrubs’ which are shown on a daily basis, have a ‘safe’ and family friendly nature, this, combined with the use of separate narrative in each episode, meaning that viewers can miss out on episodes and still have a fairly good idea of what is going on, making these particular shows ideal for casual viewing, also suggests that the mass appeal style of broadcasting prominent during the TVI era is still identifiable today.
However, it could be argued that the fact that this particular style of programme is shown during the day, when the majority of people are at work, or school, etcetera, and on less popular channels, such as Comedy Central, suggests that the TVI era style of broadcasting is dying out. This could also be reinforced by the fact that ‘Friends’ went from being broadcast at peak times on Channel 4, to instead being broadcast during the daytime on E4, to then being broadcast during the daytime on Comedy Central, a much less popular channel, where the amount of viewers will decrease, so then the only question left to ask is how long before they stop broadcasting ‘Friends’ and other programmes of this nature altogether?
I think it can be argued that the broad reaching style of broadcasting used back in the TVI era is still very commonly used throughout today’s television industry. However there are no longer the limitations that existed back then for example, ITV itself has four running channels currently undergoing the ITV logo, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4. Although each of these channels as a whole target specific niche markets, ITV1 in particular still thrives under its ambition to entertain a mass audience through its easily viewed programming, especially at certain times of the day. This is why networks such as ITV rely so heavily on their branding in order to capture their audience, despite the programming itself.
With many theories stating that television shows nowadays very rarely attract our full un-distracted attention, and us as an audience take television for granted, making us rather passive viewers. This is where branding becomes so effective. Even if we as an audience are not giving the broadcasting our full attention, we feel more comfortable with something there, even if it’s just background noise. Through the use of branding we subconsciously turn to the channels we trust more than others, despite what is currently being shown. This could be through the use of celebrities that we become familiar with through certain channels such as Ant & Dec.
However television broadcasting will at some point gain our undivided attention, meaning that for us to continue to trust the channel we watch, the genre, or topic of the programming has to be entertaining to everybody up to a certain extent. Shows such as the X-Factor for example are classed as ‘prime time’ Saturday night family viewing television. No social or cultural issues are raised allowing such a mass audience to feel comfortable viewing the show. This is only one example of how programming has been followed on in the same style as the TVI era. Many other shows do not rely on a specific genre in order to attract an audience and simply appeal to a mass audience. This can be seen across several channels such as Channel 4’s ‘Deal or no Deal’ or BBC1 presenting the National Lottery. It is shows such as these that it would not be too hard to imagine being broadcasted throughout the TVI era.
Nowadays day time television will follow the basics of TVI in the aspect that it is a time accessible to all ages before ‘watershed’. However looking at current British day time television schedules they conform with the regulations of day time television and are on par with casual viewing such as ‘cash in the attic’ and children’s television such as ‘Big Barn Farm’. The two fall into casual viewing however are still aimed at different audiences, there is no family orientated program that isn’t a follow each episode series and even later in the evening programs such as the Simpsons are still not appropriate for all ages as it breaks TVI regulations of profanity and violence and still has its own target audience. It is harder to create a program for a mass audience now that there are hundreds of channels to choose from and even more programmes along with those channels as now there is programming to specifically draw the attention of certain audiences it will be rare if possible to find a program that fits the criteria that TVI has. Now that there is cult television and audiences are able to now follow a series that each episode links to the next it draws people in more as to making them want to watch the next episode and watch dramas unfold week by week. However without influences from TVI and regulating broadcasting television standards could be completely different o how they are today but as the world is moving forward technologically, socially, culturally it is too hard to have a program that fits perfectly to TVI conventions, the roles in society have changed. For instance the role of Women on television and off has changed drastically that if there was a program with a woman in the kitchen living a typical 50s lifestyle they can no longer connect to that character compared to programs like The X-files and Luther where women play a more dominant role. Finally the standards of television has changed audiences want to be thrilled more and want suspension and enjoy waiting the next night, be it for a soap such as Eastenders, or a weekly fix of The X-factor, it appears impossible that a program like Bonanza would be satisfactory to market the audiences needs of today.
Student Number: 08006491
Nowadays day time television will follow the basics of TVI in the aspect that it is a time accessible to all ages before ‘watershed’. However looking at current British day time television schedules they conform with the regulations of day time television and are on par with casual viewing such as ‘cash in the attic’ and children’s television such as ‘Big Barn Farm’. The two fall into casual viewing however are still aimed at different audiences, there is no family orientated program that isn’t a follow each episode series and even later in the evening programs such as the Simpsons are still not appropriate for all ages as it breaks TVI regulations of profanity and violence and still has its own target audience. It is harder to create a program for a mass audience now that there are hundreds of channels to choose from and even more programmes along with those channels as now there is programming to specifically draw the attention of certain audiences it will be rare if possible to find a program that fits the criteria that TVI has. Now that there is cult television and audiences are able to now follow a series that each episode links to the next it draws people in more as to making them want to watch the next episode and watch dramas unfold week by week. However without influences from TVI and regulating broadcasting television standards could be completely different o how they are today but as the world is moving forward technologically, socially, culturally it is too hard to have a program that fits perfectly to TVI conventions, the roles in society have changed. For instance the role of Women on television and off has changed drastically that if there was a program with a woman in the kitchen living a typical 50s lifestyle they can no longer connect to that character compared to programs like The X-files and Luther where women play a more dominant role. Finally the standards of television has changed audiences want to be thrilled more and want suspension and enjoy waiting the next night, be it for a soap such as Eastenders, or a weekly fix of The X-factor, it appears impossible that a program like Bonanza would be satisfactory to market the audiences needs of today.
Student Number: 08006491
The TVI era is the name given to the broadcasting system that came in to place during the 1950s. Sometimes studied as “network era television” TVI is recognised as the time when television producers were looking to attract a “mass” audience to their television programming. The desire from producers to create programming that appealed to a large audience led to what is now known as “least objectionable programming”. The concept of least objectionable programming is based around the idea that the watching of television is a family activity and therefore limitations must be placed upon what can be broadcast. The idea that there is still programming that exists today which is similar to the genre-based, broad-reaching style of programming seen in the TVI era is an interesting one. Considering that the “least objectionable” style of programming seen in the TVI era has received heavy criticism it may be thought that such television programming would now be obsolete however I think the opposite is the case as I will attempt to prove in this piece.
A modern version of the TVI style of television programming I think can be seen in British soap operas. Soap operas like Coronation Street and EastEnders appear to tick all the boxes when it comes to television programmes that are identifiable with the TVI era. Soap Operas have large casts with varying ages and backgrounds which allows them to have a “mass” appeal because the audience will be able to relate in some way to At least one of the characters. The story lines within British soap operas often draw from real life events which again adds to the “mass” appeal of the television show as viewers will often be interested in the issues being brought up in the storyline or episode. The notion of “casual viewing” is a trait of TVI era television that can apply to British Soap operas as the audience will not always see every episode but can come back to the programme and still recognise familiar characters and pick up the story lines that are going on within the show. The only objection I can see regarding Soap operas being similar to television programmes from the TVI era is that some of the story lines in the soap operas can sometimes be controversial to some viewers which is not like the “least objectionable” type of programming seen in TVI but I think this is mealy a sign of the times because “shock” television is what has become popular for today’s television audiences.
It can be argued that there is a place for all styles of television broadcasting in today’s world particularly with the amount of channels available for the audience. The popularity of television programmes with mass appeal has decreased and producers instead aim particular programming at very specific audiences. It is down to the producers to create shows that have the right balance between being too broadly aimed at an audience and too specifically targeted at an audience. The future of television seems to be specific audience targeting but who knows what new forms of broadcasting will emerge.
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