Page 212 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media
P. 212

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

                  in fashion, where they say brown is the new black. On TV reality is the
                  new comedy, intended or otherwise.” 4
                    Producers are under tremendous pressure to keep abreast of popular
                  trends. As an example, NBC was the only television network that had
                  not developed its own reality series for the 2003–4 television season. As
                  a result, the network lost its dominant position among younger adults, as
                  the Fox Network, fueled by Joe Millionaire and American Idol, surged
                  ahead. Consequently, in January 2004, NBC introduced The Apprentice,
                  which became the number one new show among total viewers, as well as
                  among the target group (adults between the ages of 18 and 49).
                    In a perfect world, industry concerns are subordinate to artistic con-
                  siderations. In this ideal world, the media industry provides the necessary
                  resources that enable the artists to fulfill their creative visions. In reality,
                  however, industry considerations often drive artistic decisions.
                    In this market-driven media system, the primary goal is to maximize
                  profit by producing programming as cheaply as possible. As an example,
                  in May 2004, the 20th Century Fox television studio announced plans
                  to establish Fox 21, a production unit designed to produce relatively
                  inexpensive media programming. The studio immediately implemented
                  a number of cost-cutting measures, including:

                    •  Shooting dramas on 16 millimeter film rather than the usual 35
                      millimeter film;
                    •  Hiring lesser-known actors;
                    •  Offering writers a profit-participation deal rather than large, up-front
                      script fees;
                    •  Insisting on a seven-day shooting schedule (as opposed to eight
                      days);
                    •  Setting up a stage in a warehouse rather than inside an expensive
                      sound stage on a Hollywood lot;
                    •  Filming outside of Los Angeles and New York, in order to hire non-
                      union crew.

                    Indeed, the president of 20th Century Fox Television, Dana Walden,
                  declared that if it came down to letting a show die or giving in to pay more
                  to land a big-name actor, “We’ll have to decide to let the show die.” 5
                    This economic imperative has an impact on the content of genric
                  programming. The evolution of broadcast news programs provides an
                  excellent example. In the 1950s, television news divisions consistently

                                               197
   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217