2.+Development+Strategy

__ ** In this space include comments, questions, or points of discussion concerning strategies of PROGRAM CREATION & DEVELOPMENT** __

1. How has Arbitron's diary recording tabulation technique changes impacted information radio programming? Like all things with research and development there are subsequent changes done to them. I looked into WGCL, a Bloomington radio station which is primarily a talk radio station. I found out that they spend $24,000 on research for Arbitron in order to make sure they accurately research their demographic and air shows that appeal to their audience. One thing that has been discovered is that one of their biggest appeals to their market is that they cover local sports. Bloomington and IU ones. The way to improve your ratings is to invest the money to know your audience and give them what they want to hear. (Elizabeth Tippet 12/2/11)

Unless you have been under a rock, you can tell that shows tend to have the same story arc, and values. After reading Ch. 13 I now realize part of the reason for this is the lack of diversity in the messages due to conglomerates. The one page about all that Disney owned was mindboggling, especially with the messages Disney has been known to send. For Disney, there is a lack of diversity in their movies. There has started to be a change but there are some underlying messages, like most people in the movies who have accents or are foreign are the villains. For example, despite being set in the Middle East, the main characters that are good had American accents and Jafar, the villain had an accent. Because there are only so many people in charge of making the "big" decisions and they are concerned with keeping their advertisers and audience happy, they would rather keep the status quo rather than risk losing viewers by switching things up or adding diversity. (Elizabeth Tippet 10/28/11)

After reading Eastman Chapter 7 it was clear that Public Broadcasting had a different way of choosing programs. Because of their freedom, choosing programs lead to un-organization that took too long. Though freedom of choice is every program directors dream, the common carriage agreement put things in place by forcing PBS to make a form of a schedule from Sunday to Wednesday in time blocks. These time block were filled with programs that PBS though would attract the largest numbers (Jordan Kay 10/21/1) >
 * Thanks for the comments Jordan. Can you elaborate on why you think it "took too long"? That's a little unclear to me. Dr. P (10/23/11)

I wrote Mini-Writing 4 about "quality dramas" and how they have shifted back and forth from basic and premium cable networks and broadcast networks. A show that I really liked is scheduled for a new season in part to an Emmy it won for makeup effects. "Walking Dead" is the first show about zombies that I have actually liked.

Here is a link about it:

@http://news.yahoo.com/brrraaains-walking-dead-back-another-season-105215867.html

I really think AMC has a quality drama here. It has a good story and good characters. You all should watch it.

(Austin H. Morse, 10/13/2011)


 * It has been getting HUGE buzz this season, Austin. I haven't watched it yet, but read an interesting article this weekend about how BING was able to find a way to do product placement even in a show set where the power grids have all been destroyed. Check it out
 * Product Placement in The Walking Dead Dr. P (10/16/11)

After reading to Eastman 3, some terms discussed when entering into agreements with syndicators are working with the title after the show had its network run. This way the show can attract more viewers, thinking that there might be new content added in. Deciding whether or not the show is first run is also discussed. Also other things that are discussed to plan the basics of the show are cast, the amount of episodes, and the expenses. (Jordan Kay 10/14/11).

After discussing the Gillan article, I realized how important trends are and the evaluation of them. Clearly, the LOST trend didn't work because the quality drama involved too much complication in the story arch and character development. What trend that seems to be working is the sitcom. I believe Modern Family is the start of that due to its immediate success and Emmy awards. This season alone Whitney, Up All Night, 2 Broke Girls, and more that I'm not aware of have been coming out. I think these have been working so well because you do not need to see the series in sequential order and can tune in when you want to. This encourages viewers to watch them live since they won't be "behind" in the series, and ultimately leads to better ratings. There are also some hybrid genres where they are a comedy but still have some quality, like long story archs and character development, like How I Met Your Mother. I doubt all of these sitcoms will survive but they have faired better than The Playboy Club so far! (Elizabeth Tippet, 10/7/11)

I remember discussing the “Golden Age of Television” in my Tel-T311 media history class. During this era, programs were often aired on one of a handful of broadcast stations and just sponsored by one advertiser who was most often responsible for producing that show; therefore, the programmer’s job was extremely less tedious than programming efforts today. Today, several different companies advertise during commercials and even in the programs themselves through product placement. Additionally, the programmer’s role has become increasingly more extensive because demographics must be recognized and targeted through the show’s programming. (Carly Leonard, 9/19/2009) Based off of Elisa’s link below, I found the “interest in Neflix is as high among 45-54 year olds as it is among 25-34 year olds” to be the most interesting. I think this is interesting because based off of the demographic age ranges we discussed in class, these two demographics usually have opposite mind-sets in relation with the media industry. Although Netflix is a very popular business, it is fascinating to see these two demographics share something in common with a recent trend in media. (Amanda Horowitz, 9/16/2011)
 * Good point, Amanda...although I should point out the the //differences// among the age demographics are usually ones about content...here we seem similarities in the acceptance of a delivery system. (Dr. P 9/18)

Based off of Elisa’s link below, I found the Demographic Trends and Fun Facts portion very interesting. The fact that I found most interesting is that flat-panel TVs remain most dominant in households with incomes that exceed $100,000. This demographic is also more likely to own a TV larger than 50 inches. I think that this is very true, but I also believe that many college students have flat-panel TVs in their apartments or houses. Almost every college student I know has a flat-panel TV, many exceeding 50 inches. But also these college students do not have incomes that exceed over $100,000. (Sami Boden, 9/16/11)


 * But consider the drawbacks/difficulties we've been discussing surrounding Nielsen when it comes to getting college-aged (18-24) responses to surveys (Dr. P 9/18)

I found this article online that discusses the 5 current trends shaping the television industry. The trend I found most interesting is how television is going social. Viewers are often busy multi-tasking, watching their favorite television programs while simultaneously being connected to Facebook and Twitter. 50% of viewers in a study reported that they often tweet about a television program while watching it. Being able to discuss their favorite television shows is important to viewers. The article states that the most social television shows are not necessarily those with the highest ratings, but those that spur conversation and have very passionate fans like Glee, and American Idol.

http://mashable.com/2011/07/20/consumer-trends- (Elisa Silvestro, September 16th)
 * /Great Link! Thanks for sharing it...Dr. P 9/19\

Chapter 2: When reading the section about entertainment formulas I realized I could list numerous television series/shows currently airing that follow the 3 formula elements; Setting, Location, Patterns of Action. Some of these examples include: Jersey Shore, Real World, Challenges:Rivals, Chopped, Top Chef, The Amazing Race. All of these have different concepts and "characters" but the 3 main elements are all the same: an isolated setting, good-looking, diverse people and challenges that end up in an individual leaving the show. (Sarah Davis Sept. 1, 2011)


 * Pretty amazing how formulaic it all can seem once you look at it closely. (Dr. P 9.6/11)

Radio Disney’s primary audience would be considered children or 2-11; however, their secondary audience could range from 18-59 depending on the individual driving the vehicle. Consequently, the programming director would have the tedious task of scheduling entertainment that can interest both age groups. However, this age disparity in listeners allows for many advertising opportunities for different advertisers raising station’s funding. (Carly Leonard 8/31/11)


 * You are absolutely right, Carly! Check this out:
 * Radio Disney Celebrates 15 Years (Dr. P. 9/6/11)

One of my favorite primetime TV show's would be two and a half men. I find this show to be hysterical and it catches the audiences attention and keeps them wanting to come back for more. I believe that this show has a very wide variety of demographic. The demographic for two and a half men i would assume is adults of all ages starting from 18, both men and women. The show is great and exciting and is very successful due to the wide variety of demographics how it catches everyones attention. (Shawn Telvi 9/02/11)


 * Be careful with terms like "of all ages..." because I would not agree that Two and a Half Men is targeted as high as 64 year olds as the primary target. Also, remember that shows have very specific PSYCHOGRAPHIC targets, too. What would be a psychographic description of the target for //Two and a Half Men//? (Dr. P, 9/6/11)

I would say that Modern Family has a target audience of 18+. Although, there are young characters in the show and a younger audience would definitely enjoy the show, i believe the comedy is targeted towards an audience of 18 and older. This show follows the lives of a large family and each of their individual families. Each family has something that every viewer can relate to which is why the target audience is so broad. It is a family comedy that plays in adult jokes from time to time. Since the show contains characters are ethnic, wealthy, unemployed, young, old, beautiful, homosexual, and many more characteristics it is difficult to pinpoint a demographic. The psychographics are the same since there is such a diverse group of characters it can pertain to many difference personalities. The main demographic of the show would be family members who can relate the most to the show no matter what the construction of there family may be there is something in the show that is relative and humorous. (Ian Lefkowitz, Sept. 2nd)
 * Read my comments above to Shawn. Also, pin down psychographics of the target. The easy one here is "likes comedy." But, it is important because if someone isn't interested in half-hour sit coms then they aren't in the target market for the program. What is another psychographic of //Modern Family?// (Dr. P 9/6/11)

Totally agree with Ian and you took my example. So I'll take a look at It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The target demographic might be persons ages 18-34. I wouldn't associate a particular occupation to it, but students and young professionals would be likely, with income anywhere from 10,000-50,000. Psychographics of the viewing audience may be students are young professionals who relate on some level to the younger skewing humor on the show. I envision the overall audience typically utilizing media out-lets at least 3-4 a day and actively participate in some form of social networking and have fairly flexible evening schedules. (Alyssa Rossman-Rorman, Sept. 2)


 * Nice job...I think that there is certainly a type of humor associated wtih Sunny though. HOw would you describe it? That gets you closer to a psychopgraphic. Dr. P 9/6/11

I posted in the wrong spot a few times. I did the hw assignment on time but I'm reposting it. I have always understood the idea of aiming at demographics but aiming at psycho graphics, or categorizing people on the basis of attitudes, personality types, or motivations is a relatively new concept. Analyzing my own psychographics I believe I am a sarcastic person, a personality type and am motivated especially when it comes to my personal finances. Ads that include finding good deals always resound with me.ynter I knew that my information was being bought and sold by marketers but I never realized HOW expensive it was to buy people's information. It makes me wonder, will people’s information become more or less expensive in the next 20 years.

The Kaya example helped me gage what people and marketing find important when it comes to categorizing people. It also made me wonder, how would they classify me? 18-34 age group, female, a student, the possessor of one credit card, avid moviegoer as well as frequent online shopper. I also have multiple "spam" accounts so I am not bombarded with deals and as much clutter as the advertising world would have me be exposed to.

I have already noticed how shows have a formula but I found the patterns of action interesting. The typical characters example reminds me of the MTVs the Real World, which funnily enough is nothing like the real world. I’ve noticed that there is almost always a person to represent the GBLT population as well as a man and woman that would make a good couple but one of them is normally already in another relationship. It feeds the fire that comes with living on camera 24/7. What I didn’t realize was that there is a very exact formula for writing “hard” news articles. It is efficient because I often will just read the first paragraph and know exactly what happens when they include the 6 Ws.

After reading about the subgenres of advertisements I’ve decided I prefer watching soft-sell ads the best because I’m very sentimental. I love the one cheerios ad where the kid is trying to eat the cheerio and his grandma uses the cheerios to demonstrate how far away she lives from him.

After reading the chapter I still don’t understand what vertical integration means.

Elizabeth Tippet (Originally posted on 9/2)