Page 314 - Religion in the Media Age Media, Religion & Culture

Notes 303

2 As was discussed to some degree in Chapter 1, these questions, in fact, form
the basis of the field of cultural studies and its approach to media studies. The
work of Richard Hoggart and Raymond Williams (in particular) raised the
important question of whose cultures were valid and normative. For a substan-
tive discussion, see Turner (1990).
3 There is good reason, as well, to think of processes of reception generally in
terms of what they produce rather than simply what they consume.
4 Enzensberger (1974).
5 Bagdikian (1997); McChesney and Nichols (2002).
6 Jhally (1990).
7 In the US, the “newer” Fox, UPN, WB, and PAX networks have each emerged
within the last fifteen years, benefiting from regulatory incentives that link the
prospects of over-the-air broadcasters to the cable and satellite services in local
market areas.
8 A good deal of scholarship has been devoted to Web-based religion in recent
years. See, for example, Hadden and Cowan (2001), Zaleski (1997), Brasher
(2004), Hoover and Park (2005), and Miller and Slater (2000).
9 Of course, this had existed for decades in radio, with such major players as the
Moody Bible Institute domestically and Trans World Radio internationally,
running religion-only networks and services from the 1930s onward (Ellens
1974).
10 For an early account of the phenomenon, see Hadden and Swann (1981) and
Horsfield (1984).
11 Hendershot (2004).
12 For a more complete discussion, with reference to journalism in particular, see
Hoover (1998).
13 ABC employed a religion reporter, Peggy Wehmeyer, with much fanfare in 1993
and she continued for several years, but the network no longer has anyone in
that post.
14 Aside from the work of some prominent exceptions such as the production
team of Bill and Judith Moyers, public television has been an even less salu-
brious environment for religion than commercial television in the US.
15 It followed the network airing of a less self-consciously religious (but nonethe-
less religiously identified and supported) series called Christy the year before
(Garron 1998).
16 Garron (1998).
17 For a complete discussion of the Touched phenomenon, see Clark (2003).
18 Alters (2003). See also Lynch (2005), pp. 149–56.
19 These trends were in some ways even more evident in programs targeting the
youth audience. For a complete discussion, see Clark (2003). These trends were
greeted with skepticism in some quarters. Media scholar John Fiske, for
example, observed, “It’s all turning into some sort of sloppy spirituality, char-
acterized by the New Age movement and by a lot of this sentimental
Christianity that’s going on” (Zerbisias 1997).
20 This sort of challenge to established religion by recording stars is, of course,
nothing new; the Beatles’ widely noted claim to be “more famous than Jesus”
is a prominent example. However, the 1990s arguably saw a new boldness and
directness in prominent artists taking on religion – or the mantle of religion –
in popular media and popular culture.
21 There is a prodigious bibliography of scholarly and popular work relating to
religion and film, too large to list comprehensively here. Of particular note,
however, have been Nolan (2003), Mitchell (2005), Miles (1997), and Martin
and Ostwald (1995). An interesting development along these lines is the