"If it bleeds, it leads." The phrase captures television news
directors' famed preference for opening newscasts with the most
violent stories they can find. And what is true for news is often
true for entertainment programming, where violence is used as a
product to attract both viewers and sponsors. In this book, James
Hamilton presents the first major theoretical and empirical
examination of the market for television violence.
Hamilton approaches television violence in the same way that
other economists approach the problem of pollution: that is, as an
example of market failure. He argues that television violence, like
pollution, generates negative externalities, defined as costs borne
by others than those involved in the production activity.
Broadcasters seeking to attract viewers may not fully bear the
costs to society of their violent programming, if those costs
include such factors as increased levels of aggression and crime in
society. Hamilton goes on to say that the comparison to pollution
remains relevant when considering how to deal with the problem.
Approaches devised to control violent programming, such as
restricting it to certain times and rating programs according to
the violence they contain, have parallels in zoning and education
policies designed to protect the environment.
Hamilton examines in detail the microstructure of incentives
that operate at every level of television broadcasting, from
programming and advertising to viewer behavior, so that remedies
can be devised to reduce violent programming without restricting
broadcasters' right to compete.
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