The televiewing audience : the art & science of watching TV

260 Pages·2004·12.716 MB·English

by  Robert Abelman

The Art
and
Science
of
Watching
TV
29 SEP 2005
Library
Huddersfield Technical Collece
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Hudde rfsi eld Jest Yorkshire
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THE TELEVIEWING
AUDIENCE
THE ART & SCIENCE
OF INATCHING TH
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HEE

THE TELEVIEWING
AUDIENCE
THE ART & SCIENCE
OF WATCHING TU
ROBERT ABELMAN
DAVID J. ATKIN
CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
HAMPTON PRESS, INC.
CRESSKILL, NEW JERSEY
»
RO O U LF
Copyright © 2002 by Hampton Press, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording,
or otherwise, without permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Abelman, Robert
The televiewing audience : the art & science of watching tv /
Robert Abelman, David J. Atkin.
p. cm. --
Includes indexes.
ISBN 1-57273-487-6 (hard : alk. paper) -- ISBN 1-57273-488-4
(pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Television viewers. 2. Television viewers--Attitudes. I. Atkin,
David J. II. Title.
PN1992.55 .A24 2002
302.23'45--dc21
2002068923
Hampton Press, Inc.
23 Broadway
Cresskill, NJ 07626
This book is dedicated to Alan Smithee
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CONTENTS
About the Authors xi
Preface Xili
1 The Audience: Consumer and Commodity
po
Televiewing Audience Defined 2
Mass Audience Defined 3
Why Televiewing is Not Taken Seriously 6
Summary 21
Questions to be Answered in the Next Chapter 22
Key Concepts From This Chapter 23
Endnotes 23
2 Symbolic Interaction: An Audience and Industry
Collaboration 27
Internal Reality 31
External Reality 47
Summary 656
Questions to be Answered in the Next Chapter 56
Key Concepts From This Chapter 57
Endnotes 58
3 Becoming Teleliterate 61
How Viewers Watch 62
Why Viewers Watch 72
Implications and Ramifications of Televiewing 75
Summary 83
Questions to be Answered in the Next Chapter 84
Key Concepts From This Chapter 84
Endnotes 85
CONTENTS
viii
4 The Audience Makers 89
The Stations 91
Television Production Houses 95
The Syndicators 101
The Networks 104
Advertisers 113
Summary 116
Questions to be Answered in the Next Chapter 116
Key Concepts From This Chapter 117
Endnotes 117
5 Audience Making 121
Branding 122
Programming 124
Promotion 131
Program Scheduling 134
Sweeps 139
Between Program Schemes 140
Within Program Manipulation 142
Summary 148
Questions to be Answered in the Next Chapter 148
Key Concepts From This Chapter 148
Endnotes 149
6 Audience Measurement: Flaws and Fallacies 153
Free Screenings 155
Ratings 157
Ratings History 159
Alternative Measures 167
Summary 168
Questions to be Answered in the Next Chapter 169
Key Concepts From This Chapter 169
Endnotes 170
7 Protecting the Audience’s Interest, Convenience,
and Necessity 173
Issues Associated With Public Interest 176
Issues Associated With Public Convenience 181
Issues Associated With Public Necessity 185
Summary 190
Questions to be Answered in the Next Chapter 192
Key Concepts From This Chapter 192
Endnotes 193