Summary
Contents
Subject index
This book by two leading experts takes a fresh look at the nature of television, starting from an audience perspective. It draws on over twenty years of research about the audience in the United States and Britain and about the many ways in which television is funded and organized around the world.
The overall picture which emerges is of: a medium which is watched for several hours a day but usually at only a low level of involvement; an audience which views mainly for relaxation but which actively chooses favourite programmes; a flowering of new channels but with no fundamental change in what or how people watch; programmes costing millions to produce but only a few pennies to view; a wide range of programme types apparently similar to the range of print media but with nothing like the same degree of audience ‘segmentation’; a global communication medium of dazzling scale, speed, and impact but which is slow at conveying complex information and perhaps less powerful than generally assumed.
The book is packed with information and insights yet is highly readable. It is unique in relating so many of the issues raised by television to how we watch it. There is also a highly regarded appendix on advertising, as well as technical notes, a glossary, and references for further reading.
What it Costs
What it Costs
Making a television program which people will choose to watch when there are competitive offerings on the other channels is expensive. We first outline the cost factors for the broadcaster: (a) the high costs of making new programs; (b) ways of reducing such costs; (c) the much lower cost of re-using a program or acquiring it secondhand; (d) the relatively low cost of distributing programs to the viewer. The costs mentioned here generally do not vary with the number of people who tune into a particular broadcast.
We then describe how, despite technological developments, production costs will remain high because not only is there limited scope for productivity improvements when making television programs but also viewers prefer to have well-made programs ...
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