Posts tagged television
Television Delivers People – TRUE
Apr 28th
To understand my title you have to watch this video first
As a marketer, I 100% agree with what Richard Serra and Carlota Fay Schoolman say with this video art. The way TV channels make money is by selling commercial spots to advertisers. Now, how does a station charge for a slot in their airtime? It sells it by showing the advertiser how many people will be exposed to the message he or she wants to deliver. This makes us the product that TV channels sell to its customers, the advertisers. If there is more people tuned in, then the channel can charge more premium prices. This is why channels do their best effort to produce interesting content that will make people stick to the screen… Having said this, I wonder how much a commercial spot costs during LOST…
Anyways
My view was reinforced with what my professor Santiago said about how television is run in Europe in contrast to the US. For example, in the UK television belongs to the people through the government. BBC – British Broadcasting Corporation, its name makes more sense now that I know its run by the government. People actually pay a tax for TV, which makes the content different from what we are used in the US. Here we are used to see shows with that whole razzmatazz to entice people to watch because in the end that is what people want.
The power of TV is put into words with this excerpt from the video:
“There is inherent conflict between: COMMERCE, INFORMATION, ENTERTAINMENT.”
We get the news from TV, but we only get what TV shows us, and they have to have an audience in order to make money… so… the stations will only show news that will call the most of attention, in order to make money. It is a business after all. Putting biases aside, how can we rely so much on the information provided by television, if what is being shown is a lure to capture us and sell us as products.
This video art piece is one of my favorite.
In conclusion, TV produces content to be able to deliver us to their client. As an oblivious audience member, how does that make you feel?
Televized History – Norma Jean
Feb 25th
Norma Jean… Who’s that person ??
None other than the legendary Marylin Monroe that is!! Did you know that in her first appearance in TV she forgot her lines, went blank, and eventually broke down to tears? Being the Marylin Monroe devout as I am (seen most movies, have 5 posters, 3 table books, one portrait, and countless saved pics haha) that came as a big surprise to me. Many people say she was too big for a small TV screen, so FOX just sent her straight up to the silver screen. Lucky for us, pioneers of TV weren’t working hard to get TV sets inside millions of households just to show us Marylin.
David Sarnoff was visionary enough to create the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) as a division of the Radio Company of America (RCA) in order to have regular programming available for the million of TV sets RCA was aiming to sell. Inspirational indeed.
And many people have things to say about television both good and bad. Here are some of my favorite quotes on TV:
“I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read a good book.”
- Groucho Marx – Actor/Comedian
“Anyone afraid of what television does to the world is probably just afraid of the world”
- Clive James – Author, “Glued to the Box”
“But how can you rule without television?”
- Andre Malraux – Author and Government Minister (France)
“Television is for appearing on, not looking at.”
- Nowel Coward – Playwrite / Songwriter / Performer
All these quotes and many more can be found at the Museum of Television
Personally, I believe TV is a very powerful medium. There is theory called the Third Person Effect, in which people disagree that TV has any effect on their own lives, but do believe it affects people around them. I feel television has the power to influence each and every one of us in many ways. Just think about it… do you have a TV character you look up to and try to act like that person? Where do you get your fashion ideas? When was the last time you started a conversation on something you saw on TV? and so many other factors.
Thank about its force. TV has the power to create stars; people just like you and me sometimes elevated to demi-god proportions. Some have been transformed into Legends like Marylin Monroe. Even though she only had three TV appearances, it is thanks to TV that everyone today knows about Marylin and has grown up with her as a cultural icon. She now forms part of society, all thanks to TV.
To leave on a bright side, I also love TV because it escapes reality by mixing art and technology to entertain us. =)
