The History of the Present

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

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 & Clips

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.

CONVERGE: Section Prompt Dec. 4

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-may-16-2011/well--that-was-fast---comcast-nbc-merger

Hello,

This week please come to section prepared to discuss the following questions about Caldwell's "Convergence Television" essay:

1. What is convergence TV? 
2. How do you define Caldwell's 5 "protodigital"/convergence industrial and aesthetic changes? What changes in industrial and programming practice did they entail (ie what were their effects)?
   HINT: the five changes are:
   -ancillary textuality, repurposing/migrating content
   -conglomerating textuality, convergence texts
   -marketing textuality, branding
   -ritual textuality, pitching, committee writing
   -programming textuality, stunting, sweeps
3. Why did syndication rights become more important in convergent TV? 
4. What is an example of convergence TV that you can think of and easily demonstrate on a computer (come to section prepared to share)? 

Thanks! Welcome back from the holiday!

Josh

Effect of the Telecommunications Policy of 1996 (due by section meeting Wed.)

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?  

Every Single Week (due by section meeting Wed.)

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.

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.