Television and Cable: The Power of Visual Culture

Chapter 5

“It’s no secret that the major broadcast television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC,

Fox) are in trouble. Increased competition from cable and Internet options has led to smaller audiences

and decreasing ad revenue.”

The Struggle of the Broadcast Networks

Early Innovations in TV Technology

• Paul Nipkow developed the scanning disk in 1880s.

• Zworykin and Farnsworth developed technology to transmit electronic signals.

Early Innovations in TV Technology

• In 1940s, FCC adopted an analog standard to push TV as a mass medium.

• FCC controlled TV licenses to make sure there was no interference.

Controlling Content—TV Grows Up

• Early television programs often had single sponsors (E.g. Colgate Comedy Hour).

• Networks unhappy with lack of creative control

• Sylvester “Pat” Weaver forced advertisers out by raising costs.

Controlling Content—TV Grows Up (cont.)

• Quiz shows like $64,000 Question and Twenty-One surrounded by scandal

• Corporate sponsors encouraged rigging.

• Scandal ended sponsor’s creative control.

• Undermined democratic possibilities of television

• Quiz shows kept off network prime time for 40 years

The Development of Cable

• CATV: First small cable system• HBO and WTBS: First cable networks• Cable era introduced narrowcasting.• Cable services:

• Basic cable• Premium cable• Pay-per-view, video-on-demand

• Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) challenges cable.

Figure 5.1A Basic Cable Television System

TV Entertainment: Our Comic Culture

• Sketch comedy• Your Show of Shows, Saturday Night Live

• Situation comedy• The Beverly Hillbillies, 30 Rock

• Domestic comedy• Happy Days, The Office

• Some shows, like the dramedy, blur the line between comedy and drama.

TV Entertainment: Our Dramatic Culture

• Anthology drama• Format dominated TV in 1940s and 50s.• Ended due to cost of programs, economic changes in audience

• Episodic series• Chapter shows (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), serial

programs (General Hospital), and the hybrid (Mad Men) most popular dramas today

TV Information: Our Daily News Culture

• NBC• Meet the Press (1947-): longest-running show

• CBS• The CBS-TV News was the first news show to be

videotaped for rebroadcast on affiliate stations.

• ABC• ABC World News Tonight

• Cable news becomes popular in mid-1980s.• CNN was first cable news channel.• Created a 24/7 news cycle

Reality TV and Other Enduring Trends

• Reality TV:• Shows are popular because they introduce audiences to

characters who are more like them.• Less expensive to produce than sitcoms

• Another growing trend is Spanish-language TV.

Public Television Struggles to Find Its Place

• Congress passes the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which leads to the establishment of PBS in 1969.

• PBS provides programs for audiences over 50 and under 12.

• By 2010, some politicians argue that public television programming could be replaced by cable programming.

Government Regulations Temporarily Restrict Network Control

• Prime Time Access Rule – 1970 • Reduced network control of prime-time programming• Stations ran 30 minutes of news, then quiz shows or

infotainment.

• Fin-syn - 1970

• Banned networks from reaping profits from program syndication

• Phased out in 1990s with the growth of cable

Balancing Cable’s Growth against Broadcasters’ Interests

• Must-carry rules – 1965 / 1972• Required cable operators to carry all local TV broadcasts• Local stations benefited from cable’s clearer reception

• Limited number of distant commercial stations carried• Mandated access channels and leased channels• Electronic publishers vs. common carriers

The Telecommunications Act of 1996

• Brought cable under federal regulation

• Removed market barriers between phone companies, long-distance carriers, and cable operators

• Reaffirmed must-carry rules

Technology and Third Screens Change Viewing Habits

• VHS, DVDs, and DVR allow for time shifting.• Third screens:

• Download or stream shows on computer-type screens

• Newer television sets now Internet-ready• Smartphones, iPads, mobile devices may become

“fourth screen.”

The Economics and Ownershipof Television and Cable

• Deficit financing• Syndication and reruns

• Evergreens

• Fringe time• Just before prime time• Off-network syndication

• Old programs• First-run syndication

• Programs produced for syndication

Figure 5.2Prime Time Program Ad Cost

Measuring Television Viewing

• Ratings• Percentage of households tuned to a sampled program

• Shares• Percentage of homes tuned to a program, compared with

those actually using their sets at the time of sample

Major Programming Corporations• Broadcast Networks

• Traditional networks remain attractive investments.• Major networks acquiring cable channels

• Multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD):• By 2010, Top 10 MVPDs served almost 70% of all U.S. cable

subscribers.• Comcast is the largest.

What News Corp. OwnsTelevision• Fox Broadcasting

Company• Twenty-seven televisionstations, including– KTTV (FOX, Los Angeles)– KMSP (FOX, Minneapolis)– WWOR (MyNetworkTV,New York City)• Hulu.com (with NBCUniversal and Disney)

DBS & Cable• Fox Movie Channel• Fox News Channel• Fox Reality• Fox Sports• FUEL TV• FX• SPEED• National GeographicChannel (67 percent stake)

•British Sky Broadcasting(38 percent stake, UK)• SKY Italia

Radio• Fox Sports Radio Network• Classic FM• Sky Radio Germany

Film• 20th Century Fox• Fox Searchlight Pictures• Fox Television Studios• Blue Sky Studios

Newspapers• New York Post• Wall Street Journal• Ottaway Newspapers(twenty-seven local papers)

• News International Limited(UK)• The Times (UK)• News Limited (110Australian newspapers)

Magazines• The Weekly Standard• donna hay (Australia)

Books• HarperCollins (U.S., UK,Australia, New Zealand,Canada, India)• Zondervan

Online• Fox Interactive Media– MySpace.com– Scout.com– RottenTomatoes.com– MarketWatch (onlinebusiness news)

Alternative Voices• Some small cities are challenging cable giants by building

publicly owned cable systems.

• More than 2,000 such utilities in the United States

The Future of Television• Television is the main storytelling medium of our time.

• Big Three networks have lost more than 50% of audience since 1980s.

• How can TV maintain its cultural relevance?