The History of the Present (last blog post due anytime before final exam)

It's always difficult to write the history of the present. However, if you were attempt to look at television today through the lenses used in this course, how would you describe it?  Take one example of a current trend in television and analyze it.  

Convergence Television (Last Blog Post Due Anytime Before Final Exam)

Discuss how you see two of John Caldwell’s five elements of convergence television (outlined on page 46 of his essay) applying to the television you consume today. 

Webisodes and Clips (last blog post due anytime before final exam)

Please post a webisode or youtube video that's entertained you lately.  Don't worry about commenting much on it in introduction, but please use your 200 words to comment on a clip that another class member uploads.  Last blog post due anytime before course final exam.

Section Prompt Dec. 3

Hello all,

This week we'll be discussing Caldwell's essay "Convergence Television." I'd like you to prepare the following:

1. What is Caldwell's thesis? (1-2 sentences only)
2. What are 3 arguments or examples which support this thesis. 
3. Think of a media example which relates to one of Caldwell's main points. 

See you later!

Josh

The video embedder isn't working, so here's a link to a video which deals with convergence better than most: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0. 

Take-aways

Now that we're near the end of the semester, what have you learned or taken away from the study of Television History?  Feel free to focus on one topic or provide a short summary of various points. 

Effects of the Telecommunications Act of 1996

Discuss one or more of the major effects of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 on technology, content, or industrial policy.  Why do you think the FCC enforced more regulation on content at the same time that they ushered in less regulation on media corporations? What seems different in today's media environment concerning this/these issues? 

Every Single Week

According to Anna McCarthy, ABC’s president, Robert A Iger, said of Ellen that it “became a program about a character who was gay every single week, and… that was too much for people.”  McCarthy describes this perspective as maintaining the “fantasy of queer identity as something that can be switched on for special occasions” along with a “fear of a quotidian, ongoing lesbian life on television.”  Since Ellen’s coming out episode in 1997, a number of queer characters, generally secondary characters, have appeared on both broadcast and cable television.  Choose a program with a queer character from the 2000s that you are familiar with and examine whether or not that character’s relationship to their sexuality is truly serialized or only focused on during “special occasions,” whether to play up a particular stance on sexual identity or for eroticizing reasons.

Section Prompt Nov. 19

Hello all,

I know you're paper is due tomorrow in section, but we've still got things to discuss that are important for the exam, so you need to come prepared to discuss Caldwell's essay "Trash TV: Thrift-Shop Video/More is More." Like last week, please come prepared with:

1. A one-to-two sentence outline of Caldwell's overall thesis.
2. TWO arguments he uses to support this thesis
3. One specific example that Caldwell uses to support EACH of the arguments you outlined in number 2. 
4. If you can think of a TV clip, video, or other media item which relates to Caldwell's arguments or could have his arguments applied to it, post it to the blog as a response to this post before section - it's worth bonus participation. 

Please be ready to discuss when you arrive; in keeping with Pee-Wee's Playhouse, we're going to have a little fun with section format tomorrow. 

Cheers,

Josh

Here's some awesome PoMo music!

Synergetic Practices

What is synergy?  How does it operate within a contemporary media environment primarily run by large conglomorates?  Give one example of synergy (you can use an example from the present if you wish). 

Yuppie Guilt

Based on your viewing of our screening of Thirtysomething as well as Feuer's analysis of the program--what role do you think yuppie guilt plays on the show and how is it represented?  

Section Prompt Nov. 12

Hello all,

Tomorrow is going to be a busy section! We are going to be discussing Levine's essay "Kiddie Porn vs. Adult Porn" and Feuer's essay on yuppie envy/guilt. For us to be able to get through this material everyone has to come prepared and be ready to discuss.

For EACH essay:

1. In 1-2 sentences, outline the thesis of the essay
2. Outline three arguments that the author uses to support that thesis
3. Apply those arguments to one of our screenings 

See you tomorrow!

Josh

IT'S THE 80S!

'80s TV--worth 2 blog posts!

Watch one of the three 1980s television episodes linked below and write 400 words on the representations of class within Roseanne, LA Law, or COPS.  This post will count as two blog posts.  

LA LAW, s.1, ep.1

Roseanne, s.1, ep. 1

COPS, pilot (please watch all of the parts on youtube)

Section Prompt Nov. 25

Hello all,

This week we will be talking about Lentz's article on quality vs. relevance in 70's television.

Please come prepared to:

• provide at least three characteristics of quality tv and three of relevant tv
• know the differences between MTM and Lear productions
• think of some examples of how discourses of quality and relevance are similar or different today 

What a great era for TV! 

Josh

Here's some more Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, when cheating and romance and allure abound.

Smothering TV

Why did CBS censor The Smothers Brothers? How did The Smothers Brothers respond to CBS’s attempts at censorship?  How did questions of what constitutes appropriate content for network TV play out in the late 1960s and early 1970s and how do they play out today?  

MTM vs. Lear

From your viewings of All in the Family, Good Times, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show and your reading of Kirsten Lentz’s essay, how do you think Norman Lear’s shows differed from MTM’s?  Why do you think the term “quality” was often used to refer to MTM’s shows and “relevance” to label Lear’s programs?  How does Lentz see these productions as differing?  

Responses to Julia

Discuss the range of viewer responses to Julia described by Bodrohkozy's article.  Based on your viewing of the pilot and our discussion of television and race in the 1960s, why do you think the show was interpreted so many different ways? 

Section Prompt Oct. 29: Blue Skies and Smothers Brothers

Hello friends,

My apologies for this post coming up late.

Tomorrow in section we will be looking at Streeter's "Blue Skies and Strange Bedfellows" and Bodroghkozy's "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and the Youth Rebellion." As you're prepping, start thinking about examples from any TV era that relate to the concepts, theories, and ideas that you're reading about - let's make some connections!

Discussion questions:

1. What are the blue skies discourses Streeter discusses? What different organizations, groups of people, and other stakeholders promoted these discourses, and for what reasons? 
2. Who are the strange bedfellows when it came to pushing for cable policy and distribution? Why are they so strange? What about cable made it possible for these disparate groups to agree with each other?
3. Who was the audience of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour? How did the show's audience contribute to the show becoming a political battleground? What changes did they make to the traditional variety show form as part of their audience-getting strategy? 
4. Outline the trajectory of the Hour's comedic material/intention. How did it reflect or channel social changes happening in the US at the time? What taboo topics did the show engage with that drew in particular audiences? When and how did entertainment slip into editorialization? 

See y'all soon! 

Josh

PS: Your bonus fun video for today: the every important Buggles. Cable's coming, and it's allllll changing from here on out.

"Low Brow" Genres

How does Horace Newcomb's essay complicate Newton Minow’s assessment of television as a “vast wasteland”? Why does he believe that 'low brow' genres such as the western can be more complicated than they seem?  Do you agree?  Perhaps give an example of a contemporary 'low brow' show and explain why it might or might not have social relevance. 

Blue Skies

Why do you think that Thomas Streeter titles his essay the way he does?  What do “blue skies” and “strange bedfellows” have to do with 1960s discussions about the possibilities of cable television?  Does the language used around cable at that time sound similar to the way new media technologies are discussed today? Explain. 

Section Oct. 22

Hello all!

My apologies for not posting this last night; I totally forgot. But it's not to worry - since the only reading assigned between last section and this one is being tested on the midterm today, we are going to use tomorrow's section as a writing lab. I will tell you about my observations of common writing issues from the short paper, and talk about how to research for the final paper, as you should be getting that process under way before your proposal comes in. Please come with an idea of what two shows you might want to compare, and be ready to talk about good/bad advice for writing that you've received in the past.

Good luck today!

Josh

PS: Here's one of my "I'm gonna rock it" jams to motivate you for the midterm. It features the luminous Clarence Clemons in his last performance before he passed, a true loss for music in this world.

Section Prompt for Oct. 15: Westerns and Review

Hello!

This week we will spend the first half of section talking about Newcomb's essay "From Old Frontier to New Frontier," then spend the second half reviewing for the midterm. Here's what I'd like you to do to prep for section:

Newcomb Discussion Questions:

1. How did (TV) Westerns dramatize issues of race, nationalism, and citizenship? (Or, what is the "old frontier" Newcomb is discussing? What content is on the surface of these shows?)
2. How were these dramatizations of race/nationalism/citizenship related to social and cultural changes of the 60s? How did they represent these changes? (Or, what is the New Frontier in the Kennedy era, and how does Newcomb argue TV Westerns are connected to it?)

Review: 

• Bring your review questions with you, including any you posted to the blog. Between section Wednesday and lecture Thursday we should get to everything. 
• IMPORTANT: also bring with you any study notes you've made, and, if possible, a way to access course readings and your lecture/section notes. 
• This review will be a peer knowledge-sourcing exercise. I am not going to give you the answers; if you have a question, bring it, and one of your peers can probably answer it from their studying, while you can answer one of theirs. We will work as a group to prep for the exam. 

Additional exam resources:

Check out the folder "Josh's Study Tips" under the Resources tab of the class CTools page, and you'll find three handouts I've uploaded with tips on taking multiple choice exams, effective study tips, and other useful info heading into the midterm. 

Optional (hilarious) watching for the week: 

If you're into westerns and think you might want to write on them for the final paper, here's S05E28 "A Pink Cloud Comes From Old Cathay" of Bonanza, one of the most famous TV westerns, which illustrates the complicated and problematic nature of the genre that Newcomb discusses. 

Don't forget that I have office hours this Thursday from 130-330pm; come see me if you have exam questions!

Cheers, and happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Josh

Questions about the midterm!!!!!/One Free Blog Entry Pass

Dear Class,

You must respond to one of the three previous prompts by next Wednesday's section (I've given you a two day extension in observance of the fall break).

However, I would also encourage EVERY student to post one question here that they have about material on the midterm.

I will be covering the Classic Network Era, the magazine style of advertising, and Bodroghkozy's article on Thursday.  Between your Wednesday section and Thursday's lecture we'd like to answer any questions you may have.

If you post a question about the midterm content here, you receive one PASS for a blog post (thus, you do not have to post one week of your choice during the semester).   Please post! :)  It will only help you and everyone else.  There are no stupid questions.  Fire away!

Best,
Candace

Socially Relevant Coverage in the 1960s

Why did the networks begin to lengthen their news coverage, broadcast presidential debates, and program more socially-relevant documentaries like Crisis during the 1960s?  How did this material illuminate civil rights issues and inflect the way that people understood national politics? 

Dobie!

We can see subculture beginning to be featured in Dobie Gillis. How was this evidenced in the episode we viewed?

Intense Anxieties

Based on your viewing of The Outer Limits episode “The Bellaro
Shield” and understanding of Jeffrey Sconce’s essay on the show,
explain how The Outer Limits expresses and potentially
intensifies particular anxieties prevalent during the early 1960s.

Spigel and Sconce

Hello class,

Here's what we came up with today in section. If the Spigel groups could respond with their answers to the last few questions, that would be swell.

Cheers,
Josh

Section Oct. 8

Announcements, paper collection (5 mins)

Group work: 2 groups in small section 4 in large one (should be about 5 people each) (20 mins)

Sconce “Outer Limits”

How did The Outer Limits make social commentary through its pessimistic perspective? How did this set it apart from other TV shows of the time?

Cynical criticism of nuclear family, domesticity - domestic asylum of american home (middle class, suburban)

addressed technology: skepticism/fear of what advances in technology will mean - nuclear fallout, etc. 

oblivion/void - turning the seeing other places through the TV back on itself - self-reflexive of TV optimism, thinking the TV is an amazing technology, asking questions about its downsides 

How did The Outer Limits explore and exploit fears about TV technology? Other technological advances of the time (for example: surveillance, nuclear, etc.)?

surveillance tech: if we can see into the tv, who says the tv can’t see back? 

Testing the Tanner Electronic Survey Tabulator (TEST) - seeing what channel you’re watching when

nuclear weaponry: “The Premonition”: time stops, frozen animals/things - looks like the Yucca Flats

KLEE TV/Lost Station - lost TV signal that shows up later, a person was captive in the void of electromagnetic spectrum 

What does Sconce argue TOL says about the nuclear family and suburbia? How does “The Bellero Shield” support or contest his argument?

Suburbia as domestic asylum (key term) - housewives trapped in the home 

In Bellero Shield, wife acts outside her role and is punished

Shield as metaphor for TV - she bangs on the shield and it looks like she’s hitting the tv set

Spigel “White Flight”

What is “white flight”? How is it related to (suburban) zoning laws? 

white people moving (fleeing/flying) to the suburbs - urban america/people of colour 

red lining (review from Harolovich) 

What was the space race? How does Spigel connect that to race, gender, and class? 

America and USSR competing to get to the moon - democracy/capitalism vs. communism - major public metaphor for the cold war

USSR is winning with Sputnik - “Flopnik” US is not winning

America trying to find a new frontier - where race and class and gender don’t matter

white astronauts heading into space; many people attached race to this - white people can flee the crappy earth, or send people of colour away so we don’t see them

What is cultural colonialism? How does Spigel connect this concept to the Space Race under the Kennedy administration’s “New Frontier”?

related to cultural imperialism: colonialism - imposition of ideas and people into/onto another people or territory - using culture, the media to colonize other cultures, influence them - main target: USSR, cold war weaponry 

New Frontier: Kennedy’s new technological, scientific, cultural (foreign) policy with a resurgence of manifest destiny 

How does Spigel argue the domestic suburban home and nuclear family were connected to the space race? (hint: mobile privatization, defamiliarization)

defamiliarization: Jetsons - showing futuristic representations OF the nuclear family in space - but then it leads to questioning our values now because of how out of place they are

What criticisms of the space race/new frontier did Ebony and other African American groups/publications have? 

Section Oct. 8

Hi class,

Given that your paper is due tomorrow, no specific prompt today. We'll run tomorrow's section as more of a low-stress workshop/study session focusing on Sconce's Outer Limits article and Spigel's "White Flight" essay. Please be sure to bring a way to access those readings with you as you will need to go into them in section.

I'm excited to read your papers! Good luck!

Here's some essay encouragement for your Tuesday morning inspired by all my thinking about Baz Luhrmann lately.

And for the sap in all of us (just in case of too many essay feels):

Section Prompt Oct. 1

Hello!

Here's this week's list of questions to think about before section.

Cheers,
Josh

1. Key Terms: bring them!
2. Boddy: What were the reasons some felt live TV was superior to telefilm? 
3. Alvey and Anderson: What industrial changes were brought about by the introduction of telefilm? Think of at least 3 changes that occurred after its introduction in realms including, but not limited to: program selection and production, visual quality, syndication, network competition. 
4. Please view from 2:05-6:03 of the below clip (we will be discussing it in section - sorry for the long version, but this has the best sound/video quality). How does this clip and our Kovacs screening exemplify the debate Spigel outlines in "Silent TV" between TV as noise vs. art? What did Kovacs fans say about themselves to situate themselves on the "artistic" side of this debate? 
5. How were Ernie Kovacs and his TV shows both anti-consumption and consumerist simultaneously?
   

Extra Credit--Counts as TWO Blog Posts

Extra Credit--Counts as TWO Blog Posts:

View one of the following films: Quiz Show (1994) OR Good Night, and Good Luck (2005).  Both are available at Askwith Media Center or on reserve at the Donald Hall Collection.

Keeping in mind that both of these films offer fictionalized renderings of historical circumstances, write a minimum of 400 words explaining how either the quiz show scandals (as depicted by Quiz Show) or Edward R. Murrow’s exposé of McCarthyism (as portrayed in Good Night, and Good Luck) had political results during the 1950s and shifted ideas about the medium of television and its specific genres (quiz shows or news programs). 

The Kovacs Way

Using this advertisement or the screening from class as an example, discuss how Ernie Kovacs’ artistic experiments with television sound (or silence), aesthetics, and timing dialogue with growing concerns about television’s noisiness and commercialism? 

NY vs HW, live vs telefilm

1950s television critics characterized New York-based live broadcasts as superior to Hollywood-based program forms for a variety of reasons.  Considering these reasons (discussed in lecture and in "Live Television"), compare a live program to one of the telefilms we've viewed in class, to make an argument with or against the critics. 

Section Prompt Sept. 24

Hello class,

Here's what I'd like you to think about heading into section Wednesday. We'll be primarily discussing Cripps, Haralovich, and Lipsitz, but as always, bring all your questions with you.

1. Key terms: bring three (or more) with you from lecture and the readings. 
2. What different opinions of Amos 'n' Andy does Cripps outline? Who were the major players supporting and protesting the show, and why?
3. Define the practice of red lining. How did it intensify segregation as suburbs developed? How is it represented in our screenings thus far? 
4. How do early domestic comedies incorporate ethnicity, memory, and working class narratives into consumerist messages? How have our screenings demonstrated this messaging? 
5. How do these readings position race, class, and gender in the shows we've screened? How would you relate their arguments to the social context of the time that we've been discussing in lecture?

And, finally, for your Monday fun video, here's PDQ Bach (classical music's equivalent of Abbot & Costello) commenting on Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 1st Movement, as if it were a sports match. 

Key Terms

Amos 'n' Andy

Based on Thomas Cripps’ article and your viewing of Amos ’n’ Andy this Thursday, how did the television show portray middle class African Americans?  Discuss why the sitcom became the center of a hot public debate as well as the arguments offered by each side.  

On Liveness

What are some of the advantages of live television and why do you think it was the prevailing format during TV's first decade?  What are its disadvantages?  How is "liveness" (or the illusion thereof) used by TV today?

Consumerist Morals

What does George Lipsitz mean when he suggests that working class ethnic sitcoms of the 1950s put the borrowed moral capital of the past at the service of the values of the present?  Based on his essay and your viewings this Thursday, how did these sitcoms demonstrate how "wise choices enabled consumers to have both moral and material rewards"?  

Section Prompt for Sept. 17

Hello!

Here are some questions/prompts to get our discussion on Wednesday going. Please have a gander at them, and be ready to discuss them, ask questions about them, or add to them when we meet.

Cheers,
Josh

1) Bring in three key terms/ideas from lecture or the readings you think could be on an exam, along with a definition.
2) What is spectacularization? Where do you see it in any of our screenings thus far?
3) How do Spigel and Mann argue that TV is connected to gender norms and politics? What evidence do they use to support their claims?

And speaking of gender norms/politics on TV, here's a fun music video that continues in the tradition of gender-bending on TV that we witnessed Milton Berle take part in. (It has nothing to do with class; it's here to hopefully bring a smile to you face.)

Vaudeville and Modern Late Shows

Vaudeville fell out of style as television gained popularity; however, early television programs closely resembled Vaudeville acts as they were filmed in front of live audiences and they contained a variety of acts designed to shock or humor the audience. Early television shows such as the Milton Berle Show used the Vaudeville style in how they offered many different segments of the show, including dancing, skits, music, and comedy interludes offered by Berle or a guest comedian. In the episode we watched this past week, Berle introduces and participates in a sort-of circus act, with a trampoline and jumprope. In the Vaudeville video, there are several acts that very closely resemble this style of "awe and shock the audience" and gag humor. Berle was dubbed "Mr. Television" by America, so it is not surprising that his show was incredibly influential for the line of variety shows and late night shows that followed, and continue today. In that vein, variety shows such as the Ed Sullivan Show, the Tonight Show, and Saturday Night Live all resemble this early Vaudeville-style television. 

The Ed Sullivan show combined interviews, comedy stand-up, and music performance to spur the widespread popularity of shows like this. He brought the country acts that were popular, such as The Doors, Elvis Presley, and also introduced newcomers such as Joan Rivers, and lesser-known musical acts. The Tonight Show, beginning in 1954 on NBC, is the longest running late night talk show in the world. While hosted by Johnny Carson for the longest stretch, 1962-1992, it developed into a necessary-visit for any popular musician, comedian, actor, or political big shot. Its style during that time resembled the Berle Show, albeit without the overt Vaudeville style and circus acts, through its quick pace and live-studio audience. Today, the Tonight Show is hosted by Jimmy Fallon, who is reviving its fun spirit after several years of dragging feet on the show. Fallon is a comedian himself and he fills the spaces between musical acts, interviews and games with guests much like Milton Berle did. Saturday Night Live is a modernized Vaudeville act; its many pre-filmed sketches and the fact that it isn't technically "Live" set it apart, but the alternating host, fast-paced skits, and musical numbers compare it to Vaudeville and early television. 

A clip from Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voCxOZCNRJ0

Vaudeville and Television

We discussed how Vaudeville lost its popularity as broadcasting became central to American culture. Which genres of television seem most influenced by Vaudeville and how? How do you relate this week's screenings to the types of performances exhibited here?  Feel free to share a clip of a contemporary show that exhibits some of these influences and compare the two types of entertainment. 

Window on the World

How was television figured as a “window on the world” during the period of 1948-1955, according to Lynn Spigel?   Do you think television fulfills (or is portrayed as fulfilling) a similar role today? Take a look at this pre-war demonstration of British television and describe the aesthetics of this early experimentation with TV during the 1930s. How is the viewer positioned or addressed? How do the formal elements of this program compare to contemporary television?

Traces of the Past

In the last paragraph of Lynn Spigel’s “Installing the Television Set,” Spigel quotes historian Carlo Ginzburg, who writes: “Reality is opaque; but there are certain points—clues, signs—which allow us to decipher it.”  Why do you think Spigel closes her analysis of post-war television’s role in American domestic spaces with this quote?  How does she describe her historical approach/methodology? What types of “traces” of the past does she examine in this essay and how does she use them?  Do you agree with her approach to history?