Page 217 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 8

of the episode . . . for example, ‘American Idol’ [costs]—$800,000 to
$850,000 an episode, [it is] actually more costly, in some cases, than an
hour scripted series.” 16
Increasingly, media executives are unwilling to take risks, relying
instead on genres that have a safe, recognizable formula. RKO’s chair-
man Ted Hartley points out that “it’s much harder these days to get
anyone’s attention. You only have about 10 seconds to grab them. And
to get somebody to react positively to some new idea, some new title,
takes a lot more than 10 seconds. So we all love starting with something
that’s already known.” 17
ABC’s sitcom Jake in Progress is an interesting case study. Jake was
initially envisioned as an innovative series that applied the structure of the
dramatic series 24 to the sitcom genre. Each season would be devoted to a
single day of a relationship, beginning with the first date. However, during
the development of the project, this single-day concept was deemed to be
too quirky and was scrapped. Television critic Gail Pennington observes,
“The broadcast networks remain stuck in the same-old, same-old comedy
mold. If the masses will still laugh at tired sitcom shtick, programmers
shortsightedly ask themselves, why even try something different?” 18
As production costs have increased, companies that produce video
games have become less willing to take creative chances with the games.
In the late 1990s, the average budget for a video game was approximately
$3 million. But by 2004, Atari spent $20 million on its Enter the Matrix
game—about one-third the average cost of producing a feature film.
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As a result, production companies for computer games have struggled to
make a profit—particularly small companies. Midway Games, which had
huge hits in its Mortal Kombat and SpyHunter games, endured nineteen
consecutive quarters of losses (as of the first quarter of 2005). Evelyn
20
Nussenbaum observes, “As a result of the changes, game publishers are
less willing to take creative chances, people in the industry say. They
make fewer games and rely more on movie tie-ins and what they consider
sure-fire sequels.” 21
As a result of this profit imperative, the media industry increasingly
relies on “bankable” genres. For instance, Hollywood currently is pro-
ducing a preponderance of teen romances and action/adventure films,
foregoing unusual projects that are considered too risky.
Increasingly, media executives look to genric programming with a
proven track record elsewhere before they will risk putting them on the
American market. For instance, before making its debut on American

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