Sitting prominently at the hearth of our homes, television serves as a voice of our modern time. Given our media-saturated society and television's prominent voice and place in the home, it is likely we learn about our society and selves through these stories. These narratives are not simply entertainment, but powerful socializing agents that shape and reflect the world and our role in it. Television and the Self: Knowledge, Identity, and Media Representation brings together a diverse group of scholars to investigate the role television plays in shaping our understanding of self and family. This edited collection's rich and diverse research demonstrates how television plays an important role in negotiating self, and goes far beyond the treacly "very special" episodes found in family sit-coms in the 1980s. Instead, the authors show how television reflects our reality and helps us to sort out what it means to be a twenty-first-century man or woman.

Tracing public and critical responses to TV from its pioneering days, this book gathers and gives context to the reactions of those who saw television's early broadcasts-from the privileged few who witnessed experimental and limited-schedule programming in the 1920s and 1930s, to those who bought TV sets and hoisted antennae in the post-World War II television boom, to still more who invested in color receivers and cable subscriptions in the 1960s. While the first two major sections of this study show the views of television's first broad public, the third section shows how social and media critics, literary and visual artists, and others have expressed their charmed or chagrinned responses to television in its earliest decades. Media-jaded Americans, especially younger ones, would be surprised to know how eagerly their forebears anticipated the arrival of television. Tracing public and critical responses to TV from its pioneering days, this book gathers and gives context to the reactions of those who saw television's early broadcasts-from the privileged few who witnessed experimental and limited-schedule programming in the 1920s and 1930s, to those who bought TV sets and hoisted antennae in the post-World War II television boom, to still more who invested in color receivers and cable subscriptions in the 1960s. Viewers' comments recall the excitement of owning the first TV receiver in the neighborhood, show the vexing challenges of reception, and record the pleasure that all young and many older watchers found in early network and local programs from the beginning to the fast-changing 1960s. While the first two major sections of this study show the views of television's first broad public, the third section shows how social and media critics, literary and visual artists, and others have expressed their charmed or chagrinned responses to television in its earliest decades.

From David Lean's big screen Great Expectations to Alejandro Amenabar's reinvention of The Turn of the Screw as The Others, adaptations of literary classics are a constant feature of popular culture today. The Bloomsbury Introduction to Adaptation Studies helps students master the history, theory and practice of analysing literary adaptations. Following an introductory overview of major debates and concepts, each chapter focuses on a canonical text and features: - Case study readings of adaptations in a variety of media, from film to opera, televised drama to animated comedy show, YA fiction to novel/graphic novel. - Coverage of popular appropriations and re-imaginings of the text. - Discussion questions and creative exercises throughout to guide students through their own analyses. - Annotated guides to further reading and viewing plus online resources. - The book also includes chapter overviews and a glossary of critical terms to give students quick access to key information for further study, reference and revision. The Bloomsbury Introduction to Adaptation Studies covers adaptations of: Jane Eyre; Great Expectations; The Turn of the Screw; The Great Gatsby.

As Laura Linder asserts, increased concentration of media ownership has resulted in the homogenization of public discourse. Packaged, commercialized messages have replaced the personalized and localized opinions necessary for the uninhibited marketplace of ideas envisioned in the First Amendment. Narrowcast outlets such as talk radio give vent to individual voices, but only to a limited, predefined audience. The media have led a social shift toward splintering and compartmentalization, away from pluralism and consensus.

Public access television provides an alternative to this trend, requiring active public participation in the process of developing community-based programming through the dominant medium of television. Today, more than 2,000 public access television centers exist in the United States, producing more than 10,000 hours of original, local programming every week. But public access television remains underutilized, even as deregulation and growing interest in other telecommunications delivery systems pose a potential threat to the long-term viability of public access television. In this comprehensive review of the background and development of public access television, Linder offers all the information needed to understand the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings as well as the nuts and bolts of public access television in the United States. Must reading for students and scholars involved with mass media in the United States and professionals in the television field.

This book examines unintended participatory cultures and media surrounding the American televangelists Robert Tilton and Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner. It brings to light heavily ironic fan followings; print, audio, and video projects; public access television parodies; and other comedic participatory practices associated with these controversial preachers from the 1980s onwards. For Tilton's ministry, some of these activities and artifacts would prove irksome and even threatening, particularly an analog video remix turned online viral sensation. In contrast, Bakker-Messner's "campy" fans - gay men attracted to her "ludicrous tragedy" - would provide her unexpected opportunities for career rehabilitation. Denis J. Bekkering challenges "supply-side" religious economy and branding approaches, suggestions of novelty in religion and "new" media studies, and the emphasis on sincere devotion in research on religion and fandom. He also highlights how everyday individuals have long participated in public negotiations of Christian authenticity through tongue-in-cheek play with purported religious "fakes."

Despite the central role of punditry in our contemporary media environment, research has been slow to examine punditry on cable news. Deregulation, the advent of cable television, and the rise of a twenty-four hour news cycle have dramatically transformed the structure and content of news, paving the way for political pundits to come to the forefront. Cable news networks, in particular, have played a critical role in challenging the neutrality of traditional media through the development of opinion programs that made highly politicized and entertaining content central to their primetime coverage. Over the past three decades, these opinionated programs have become increasingly popular as a programming strategy for cable news producers seeking to develop novel programming to target niche audiences. The pundits who pontificate on these programs have come to dominate our national political dialogue, and play a significant role in setting the public agenda and influencing public opinion in the United States. Punditry and pundits lie at the heart of programming and network changes that have evolved over the past thirty years. Primetime Pundits: How Cable News Covers Social Issues explores the ascent of punditry and offers new models for understanding how social issues are covered-not just by pundits, but also in the larger changing media landscape.

One of the most acclaimed and popular television series of all time, Breaking Bad left an indelible imprint on the imaginations of viewers around the world. Walter White's transformation from high school chemistry teacher to meth kingpin has inspired thousands of artists to creatively reinterpret the show's stark, stylish visuals and unforgettable characters. 99.1% Pure: The Breaking Bad Artbook brings together an electrifying collection of art from around the globe, personally curated by show creator Vince Gilligan and the Breaking Bad team. Featuring a dazzling array of styles, this one of-a-kind book is the ultimate tribute to the series and its seismic impact on popular culture.

Are you living the kind of love story you want to read about? More than 2.3 million people watched as Jeremy and Audrey Roloff shared their vows and committed their lives to each other. Now for the first time, the former co-stars of TLC's hit show Little People, Big World share their imperfect, resilient, and inspiring love story. In the New York Times bestseller A Love Letter Life, Jeremy and Audrey teach us that the moment you meet your potential spouse, you can start being intentional about shaping a beautiful love story, uniquely written for who God created you both to be. From health problems to emotional walls to being separated by a thousand miles, the couple faced countless obstacles in their dating relationship. But their unique approach to dating empowered them to write an uncommon love story and prepared them for married life. As beautiful as their wedding was, the Roloffs wanted to be intentional about preparing even more for their marriage. Told through both Jeremy's and Audrey's voices, A Love Letter Life tells a passionate and persevering story of relatable struggles, hard-learned lessons, practical tips, and devout commitment. In these pages, they give you the encouragement you need to: Stop settling for convenient relationships Take on tough topics including purity, fighting well, and staying connected in a world of technology Intentionally pursue a love story that never ends Grow your love story while growing your family Since A Love Letter Life was published in 2019, Jeremy and Audrey have welcomed three new members into the Roloff family. In this special edition of A Love Letter Life, Jeremy and Audrey include a new afterword dedicated to sharing all about how parenting has changed the way they pursue their love letter life. Whether you're single and searching, in a serious dating relationship, or desiring to love your spouse better, Jeremy and Audrey equip you to pursue an intentional, creative, and faithful love story by sharing theirs.

Reality programming-a broad title for unscripted shows that involve non-actors-is really an updated version of a classic television genre that had its first successes decades before The Real World or Survivor made their premieres. NBC launched Try and Do It, a show in which audience members attempted to complete tasks such as whistling with a mouthful of crackers, in 1949. In the 1950s Queen for a Day crowned the most down-trodden of its four contestants, draping her in a sable-trimmed robe and granting a previously declared wish. The wild success reality television has achieved of late has pushed the envelope of such programming ever further away from the genre's innocuous beginnings. The time is now ripe for a look back on how this genre has developed, what it reveals about us, and what has transformed it into one of the most powerful forms of entertainment on television today. Reality programming-a broad title for unscripted shows that involve non-actors-is really an updated version of a classic television genre that had its first successes decades before The Real World or Survivor made their premieres. NBC launched Try and Do It, a show in which audience members attempted to complete tasks such as whistling with a mouthful of crackers, in 1949. In the 1950s Queen for a Day crowned the most down-trodden of its four contestants at the end of each show, draping her in a sable-trimmed robe and granting a previously declared wish. The wild success reality television has achieved of late has pushed the envelope of such programming ever further away-from the genre's innocuous beginnings. The time is now ripe for a look back on how this genre has developed, what it reveals about us, and what has transformed it into one of the most powerful forms of entertainment on television today. Using interviews with network insiders, reality producers, and other experts, Richard Huff supplies fascinating insights into the diverse content and often erratic development of reality television programming, augmenting this information with illuminating general connections between the past and present forms these shows assume. From Queen for a Day through Extreme Makeover, from Cops to Fear Factor, the genre is placed before us in this exhaustive and many-sided account, an account that uncovers the foundations and the future potential of the compelling and dominating phenomenon that is reality television.

This edited collection takes a timely and comprehensive approach to understanding Turkey's television, which has become a global growth industry in the last decade, by reconsidering its geopolitics within both national and transnational contexts. The Turkish television industry along with audiences and content are contextualised within the socio-cultural and historical developments of global neoliberalism, transnational flows, the rise of authoritarianism, nationalism, and Islamism. Moving away from Anglo-American perspectives, the book analyzes both local and global processes of television production and consumption while taking into consideration the dynamics distinctive to Turkey, such as ethnic and gender identity politics, media policies and regulations, and rising nationalistic sentiments.

The 20th century might be accurately described as the television century. Perhaps no technological invention in recent history has so vastly affected the American public. James Roman, author of Love, Light, and a Dream: Television's Past, Present, and Future (Greenwood, 1996), traces the evolution of American television programming from its beginnings as an experimental "spinoff" of radio broadcasting to its current role as an omnipresent and, some would say, omnipotent force of media and culture. Roman provides thematic chapters on all of television's major genres, including: Westerns Medical dramas Soap operas Sitcoms Children's programs Sports broadcasting Miniseries Docudramas And Reality television An involving mixture of scholarship and nostalgia, this volume offers an intelligent examination of the many ways that American society has shaped--and been shaped by--television.

This new, updated edition of The Battle of Britain on Screen examines in depth the origins, development and reception of the major dramatic screen representations of 'The Few' in the Battle of Britain produced over the past 75 years. Paul MacKenzie explores both continuity and change in the presentation of a wartime event that acquired and retains near-mythical dimensions in popular consciousness and has been represented many times in feature films and television dramas. Alongside relevant technical developments, the book also examines the social, cultural, and political changes occurring in the second half of the 20th century and first decade of current century that helped shape how the battle came to be framed dramatically. This edition contains a new chapter looking at the portrayal of the Battle of Britain at the time of its 70th anniversary. Through its perceptive demonstration of how our memory of the battle has been constantly reshaped through film and television, The Battle of Britain on Screen provides students of the Second World War, 20th-century Britain and film history with a thorough and complex understanding of an iconic historical event.

Thirty years after his death, Edward R. Murrow is still a cult figure in American broadcast journalism, and his company has achieved the distinction of standard bearer in the field of broadcast news. This examination of key CBS broadcasts and the people behind them that helped to establish the network as the prototype for excellence provides a unique perspective on the early era of broadcasting. Included are interviews with major contributors such as former CBS News presidents Fred W. Friendly and Bill Leonard. Going beyond personalities, the specific focus is on major broadcasts, from the early era up to the present-day 60 Minutes, some of which have been overlooked in spite of their formative role in helping CBS to gain its reputation in the field.

Move over, movies: the freshest storytelling today is on television, where the multi-episodic format is used for rich character development and innovative story arcs. Directors Tell the Story, Second Edition offers rare insight and advice straight from two A-list television directors whose credits include NCIS, NCIS New Orleans, Nashville, Criminal Minds and many more. Here, in one volume, learn everything you need to know to become an excellent director, not merely a good one. Covering everything through prep, shoot, and post, the authors offer practical instruction on how to craft a creative vision, translate a script into a visual story, establish and maintain the look and feel of a television show or film, lead the cast and crew, keep a complex operation running on time and on budget, and effectively oversee editing and post-production. Directors Tell the Story provides behind-the-scenes access to the secrets of successful directors, as well as exercises that use original scripted material. This newly updated edition features: All-new "From the Experts" sections with insider info known only to working professionals Profiles of top film and TV luminaries with advice and tips Additional "How I Got My First Job" stories from directors currently in the trenches Useful instruction to help you put directing techniques into practice A companion website featuring directing tutorials and video interviews with the authors Bethany Rooney has directed over two hundred episodes of prime-time network shows, including NCIS, The Originals, Nashville, NCIS New Orleans, and Criminal Minds. She teaches the Warner Brothers Directing Workshop and serves on numerous committees at the Directors Guild of America. Mary Lou Belli is a two-time Emmy Award winning producer, writer, and director as well as the author of two books. She directed NCIS New Orleans, Monk, Hart of Dixie, The Game, Girlfriends, and The Wizards of Waverly Place. She teaches directing at USC's School of Cinematic Arts.

"Opera Mediagraphy" lists operas released as motion pictures, both as theatrical feature films on 35mm film and educational films on 16mm film and videorecordings, including the VHS videotape format and optical video laser disc, though restricted to those that have been released in the United States in the American television standard video called NTSC (National Television Standards Committee). In addition to all possible information available concerning each opera, citations to reviews are included from over twenty-two sources ranging from opera journals to video review periodicals to general publications. Each review is given a rating based on the mediagrapher's reading and interpretation of the reviewer's intent. This scholarly listing will be of interest to academic and public libraries as well as to individual opera fans.

This collection offers an overview of British TV comedies, ranging from the beginnings of sitcoms in the 1950s to the current boom of 'Britcoms'. It provides in-depth analyses of major comedies, systematically addressing their generic properties, filmic history, humour politics and cultural impact.

This book is about how TV makers--notably writers, producers, and network programmers--are deeply influenced by public pressures outside their craft. Many scholars assume that the relationship between society and television is one-way, that the traffic of influence moves from the content of a program to the behavior of those who view it, and that if a show is too exploitative or violent or stereotypical, it transforms the minds of those who watch it in some manner. Authors Selnow and Gilbert maintain that the one-way influence is only half-true. Even as television makes its impact on viewers, viewers, society, and society's institutions make their impact on television, often with more noticeable effect.

Some of television's most influential and best known producers and programmers (including Grant Tinker, Norman Lear, Steven Bochco, and Gary David Goldberg) discuss the forces that affect their selection of themes and treatments, why they include or reject material, and how they view their opinion leader roles and their roles as members of the society that is so influenced by their products. Selnow and Gilbert examine many of the obvious as well as less apparent forces that affect content decisions: government regulations, interest groups, and advertisers. They argue that the rapid advancement in telecommunication technologies has as much to do with what we watch as any of the social forces. The authors look not only at the current control of content, but point toward the consortium of influences that will affect the medium as it evolves rapidly throughout the next decade.

When this book was originally published in 1976, video represented a new instrument, a new medium, and a new field of research with largely unrealized potential. The video-taperecorder was an addition to the technology of mass communications, a handy gadget for recording synchronized images and sound on magnetic tapes for storage or simultaneous playback. But the authors of this study look at it as also mirror, relay and catalyst, offering creative possibilities of exploration and criticism, of active analysis and transformation, of self-discovery and communication. They discern a liberating potential of video an antidote to the dominance of centralized TV in consumer society and ultimately a means towards the progressive social reappropriation of the media of communication. The authors draw on their experience working with school-children, teenagers, and a variety of cultural, political and community groups to illustrate the versatility of video in approaching diverse situations of everyday life, whether from the viewpoint of 'cultural animation', sociological research, or a surrealistic game. These projects, and interviews with other practitioners, present here the basis for a first typology of styles and approaches in using video, and for a 'videology': a language, a set of concepts, and a theory comprehending process and praxis, image and action. This is a fascinating snapshot now, looking back at these early ideas.

This work brings together writings on television published in Quarterly Review of Film and Video, from essays by Nick Browne and Beverle Houston to the latest historical and critical research. It considers television's economics, technologies, forms and audiences from a cultural perspective that links history, theory and criticism. The authors address several key issues: the formative period in American television history; the relation between television's political economy and its cultural forms; gender and melodrama; and new technologies such as video games and camcorders. Originally published in 1993.

Understanding how commercials are made is the key to doing it right. This descriptive book is a step-by-step guide on the mechanics of creating a commercial from a production perspective. Making commercials on all types of budgets is addressed. There is material describing the roles and dynamics of the key players: the producer/director, agency, and client. This book outlines the requirements of each group so that everyone can understand and appreciate each other's needs.

In an apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil, the fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail and a handful of survivors. Their worst nightmares are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the Dark Man. In 1979 Stephen King published The Stand, a massive apocalyptic tale that set the standard for all those stories that followed. The book was another King bestseller, leading to the release of The Complete and Uncut version in 1990, a 1994 ABC four-part mini-series and a 31-issue Marvel Comics adaptation in 2009. Now, in 2020, King's opus is being revisited yet again, with a 9-episode series for CBS All Access, bringing the story into the 21st Century. This new version will feature a brand-new coda written specifically for the new series by Stephen King himself.

This title provides a unique approach to the study of television.This overview of television criticism comes appropriately at a moment of change. Television is becoming dramatically different as a result of new and developing technologies such as cable, HDTV, satellite transmission and broadband distributions. By concentrating on the still-dominant notion of television, what the authors call "Classical Network Television," they argue that it is as important to understand this model as it is to understand Classical Hollywood Cinema.The co-authors have a unique approach to the study of television, viewing its history and reception not only through important articles about the medium, but also through analyzing how Hollywood auteur cinema has commented on television over the decades, in films such as "Tootsie", "Network", "The Last Picture Show", "A Face in the Crowd", "Rollerball", "The King of Comedy" and others. Not only does this reflect the pervasive use of cinema theory to discuss television, it also helps to emphasize the importance of clarifying the distinctions between the criticisms of the two media." The Question of Television" argues that the study of television is a crucial aspect of understanding our recent and contemporary culture, and it provides an illuminating point of entry for students and researchers in the field.

In the years since World War II, commercial television has become the most powerful force in American culture. It is also the quintessential example of postmodernist culture. This book studies how "The Twilight Zone, The Prisoner, Twin Peaks," and "The X-Files" display many of the central characteristics that critics and theorists have associated with postmodernism, including fragmentation of narratives and characters, multiplicity in style and genre, and the collapse of traditional categorical boundaries of all kinds. The author labels these series strange TV since they challenge the conventions of television programming, thus producing a form of cognitive estrangement that potentially encourages audiences to question received ideas.

Despite their challenges to the conventions of commercial television, however, these series pose no real threat to the capitalist order. In fact, the very characteristics that identify these series as postmodern are also central characteristics of capitalism itself, especially in its late consumerist phase. An examination of these series within the context of postmodernism thus confirms Fredric Jameson's thesis that postmodernism is a reflection of the cultural logic of late capitalism. At the same time, these series do point toward the potential of television as a genuinely innovative medium that promises to produce genuinely new forms of cultural expression in the future.