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.
One thing that I see a lot in television today is programming textuality. During “sweeps week”, something that television shows today do a lot is that they produce over the top situations or events that excite the audience and make them want watch more. One example that I can think of is when they have celebrity guests on a particular show, or if they have weddings or intense cliffhangers that bring in a lot of viewers. A specific example of this would be in The Office when they showed Jim and Pam’s wedding, or in the episode of Parks and Recreation when Joe Biden appeared on the show. Things like these boost ratings for shows because they are things that the viewers want to see in the particular shows, and are done before the Nielson ratings are revealed. Another key term that is discussed in Caldwell’s article is Insillory textuality. This is the idea that content that is produced can be migrated across platforms, and can be chopped up. A specific example that I have for this would be the news that we watch today. The example that Caldwell gives is NBC, but this concept can be provided in all networks. Even if you use a network like CNN, you have to consider the many different platforms that are present in the news company. Because of the 24 hour news cycle, and the introduction of online news, packages and sound bites that are found on one channel or one television show can be present on a different CNN show, or seen online either extended or condensed.
Two elements discussed by Caldwell in his essay on Convergence television that can be found in the TV we consume are repurposing or migrating content and conglomerating textuality or convergence text. These two qualities of convergence television are especially apparent in news programs the way they are formatted today. When a news show must fill several slots throughout the day with variations of their program, the focus is placed on how well information can be broken up into clips, that is, the content becomes more important than the programming. News shows often insert short clips of their most pertinent stories between shows during the day, so displaying information in a way that is easily divided into easy to understand tidbits is important. Furthermore, when advertising for what will appear on the news program later in the day, these clips are often further divided into smaller clips to encourage members of the audience to tune in later. News shows like this also display a sort of conglomerating textuality that Caldwell described, where a viewer can go online to get even more information about a particular story, can watch or read about breaking news, or can learn about less prominent stories. Anchors now refer the audience to their website to access this information and often reference their Twitter or Facebook pages, as well.
One element of Caldwell's reading that I see a lot in television today is programming Textuality, stunting, and sweeps. Typically what shows do during these specific weeks to boost ratings is that they have guest stars, deaths, pregnancies, marriages, cross network show collaborations, ect. One of the shows that I am watching now is Nashville. At the end of season one, earlier this year during the sweeps weeks. They ended the episode with Reyna and Deccan getting a car accident because of Deccan’s drinking problem. Both of these characters are main characters on the show and they left the ending not knowing if either of them was going to die. Another example of this would be the collaboration of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. Once a year they bring both of these shows together for a two hour collaboration. They are able to do this because one of the main actresses on Private Practice used to be a character on Grey’s Anatomy until she left the show. Another element from Caldwell’s reading in today’s television programming would be Convergence text. This is when it’s not just the show, but multiplatform things that become part of the text which include the show, website, ect. This can be seen in the show Once Upon a Time on ABC. I can explore the show and get to know the characters if I visit the Once Upon a Time portion on the ABC website. I can also go to Facebook and like there page to get status updates about the show and special previews and clips about what is going to happen next. I can also follow the show on Twitter and see what they are saying to keep up to date on my favorite characters. It is a combination of all of these different types of media outside of the show that help make it more popular.
To elements of Caldwell's I frequently see in the television I consume today are Programming Textuality and Conglomerating Textuality. In terms of programming textuality, stunts are very prevalent in television today. Shows such as Grey's Anatomy will air special episodes during sweeps weeks in order to attract a higher than representative audience. For example, I can remember a few years back Grey's Anatomy aired a special musical episode in which the the format of the show was completely changed into a musical format and had all the regular characters participating. This was a unique stunt because nothing like this had ever before been on the show. Additionally, conglomerating textuality for television programs is more popular than ever today. By using conglomerating textuality, programs are aiming to keep the viewers engaged after the show has aired. Shows such as Watch What Happens Live on the E! Network entice viewers by announcing that they will be having a live after show online immediately following the conclusion of the episode. This encourages viewers to continue to engage in the show following the program's broadcast.
One of the first elements outlined by Caldwell that is visible throughout he television industry today is Ancillary Programming- the repurposing or migrating of content across various platforms. This is essentially the practice of “chopping up” content into desired, often shorter, segments that can be pulled from one station to another. Ancillary programming is utilized consistently on ESPN, and other sports stations and networks that routinely use clips and highlights from other stations in their broadcasts. This is especially visible during Sportcenter’s Top 10 countdown, which features a wide variety of media including videos from YouTube, cell phone and personal camera videos sent in from independent sources, sports highlights from different stations, etc...
Another element described in Caldwell’s essay is Conglomerating Programming- or convergence text is the idea that of having multiple platforms where viewers can access information with the viewer. Networks will create websites for their shows where viewers can log on to and read information about the characters. Also, series can film “aftershows” which viewers can watch either online or on their television. The central premise is that it is not just about the episode anymore. There are so many places to access information and stay in-tuned with the show. This increases long-term viewing loyalty and a relationship between the viewer and the program. One example visible in television today is the Walking Dead “Aftershow,” entitled “Talking Dead,” a live program airing immediately following the episode that fans watch to learn more about the events of the episode.
Textuality and stunting are elements that Caldwell lists in his elements of convergence television. Typically shows do major events during these specific weeks to boost ratings; for example they have guest stars, deaths, pregnancies, marriages, cross network show collaborations and so on. Grey’s Anatomy is notorious for this – while its sister show Private Practice was on the air, there would be a cross over event for 2 hours during sweeps week. Additionally, every season there is one major disaster that causes a 2 to 3 episode arch; for example, the bomb squad in season 2, the ferry boat crash in season 3, a regular characters cancer revelation in season 4, etc. And in the finale’s every season, some kind of disaster strikes, whether it be someone being left at the alter, a plane crash, a shooter in the hospital, a surprise death of a regular, etc. The show just aired its last episode before the midseason break, and there was a big cliffhanger about one of the characters having to choose between two men on her wedding day. Similarly, the idea of convergence comes into play here, in that the showrunner has now forced all the castmembers to live-tweet the episodes each week. There were websites specifically for the characters weddings, where the fans could go and look at the dresses and flowers and cakes, etc. And there are always quizzes on the website ready to test your knowledge of the most recent episodes.
Two elements of convergence television, as described by Caldwell, that are seen very often in the television I watch today are Ancillary Textuality and Conglomerating Textuality. Ancillary Textuality is described as the repurposing and migration of content, which I see most often in the show South Park. Caldwell states that through the technology today of viewing mediums, such as the Internet, it allows us to watch television on multiple platforms. As a result, the term “content” is reinvented. In this new description of content, it “frees programs for a year-long series and network- hosted logic and suggest that programs are quantities to be draw and quarted, deliverable on cable, shippable internationally, and streamable on the Net.” In its most recent season, South Park has taken advantage of this mostly in the way it defined its 17th season, which lasted for 10 episodes from September 25th to December 11th. Because it shortened its season but pushed a similar amount of episodes compared to its previous seasons, it allows them to push out the DVD sales quicker and upload the episodes onto Netflix, which allow the episodes to be constantly streamed. The second element seen on television is the use of Convergence Text. South Park takes advantage of this as well by integrating Twitter into their programming by live-Tweeting their reruns every week, which are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Other shows like The Office took advantage of this as well by putting content onto the NBC/The Office website like “Creed Thoughts.” “Creed Thoughts” was a personal diary of thoughts from the character Creed, which began as a joke from by the character Ryan but brought to life on the Internet. “Creed Thoughts” was only mentioned once, but the website allowed the viewers to see exactly what it was.
One thing that I see a lot in television today is programming textuality. During “sweeps week”, something that television shows today do a lot is that they produce over the top situations or events that excite the audience and make them want watch more. One example that I can think of is when they have celebrity guests on a particular show, or if they have weddings or intense cliffhangers that bring in a lot of viewers. A specific example of this would be in The Office when they showed Jim and Pam’s wedding, or in the episode of Parks and Recreation when Joe Biden appeared on the show. Things like these boost ratings for shows because they are things that the viewers want to see in the particular shows, and are done before the Nielson ratings are revealed.
ReplyDeleteAnother key term that is discussed in Caldwell’s article is Insillory textuality. This is the idea that content that is produced can be migrated across platforms, and can be chopped up. A specific example that I have for this would be the news that we watch today. The example that Caldwell gives is NBC, but this concept can be provided in all networks. Even if you use a network like CNN, you have to consider the many different platforms that are present in the news company. Because of the 24 hour news cycle, and the introduction of online news, packages and sound bites that are found on one channel or one television show can be present on a different CNN show, or seen online either extended or condensed.
Two elements discussed by Caldwell in his essay on Convergence television that can be found in the TV we consume are repurposing or migrating content and conglomerating textuality or convergence text. These two qualities of convergence television are especially apparent in news programs the way they are formatted today. When a news show must fill several slots throughout the day with variations of their program, the focus is placed on how well information can be broken up into clips, that is, the content becomes more important than the programming. News shows often insert short clips of their most pertinent stories between shows during the day, so displaying information in a way that is easily divided into easy to understand tidbits is important. Furthermore, when advertising for what will appear on the news program later in the day, these clips are often further divided into smaller clips to encourage members of the audience to tune in later. News shows like this also display a sort of conglomerating textuality that Caldwell described, where a viewer can go online to get even more information about a particular story, can watch or read about breaking news, or can learn about less prominent stories. Anchors now refer the audience to their website to access this information and often reference their Twitter or Facebook pages, as well.
ReplyDeleteOne element of Caldwell's reading that I see a lot in television today is programming Textuality, stunting, and sweeps. Typically what shows do during these specific weeks to boost ratings is that they have guest stars, deaths, pregnancies, marriages, cross network show collaborations, ect. One of the shows that I am watching now is Nashville. At the end of season one, earlier this year during the sweeps weeks. They ended the episode with Reyna and Deccan getting a car accident because of Deccan’s drinking problem. Both of these characters are main characters on the show and they left the ending not knowing if either of them was going to die. Another example of this would be the collaboration of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. Once a year they bring both of these shows together for a two hour collaboration. They are able to do this because one of the main actresses on Private Practice used to be a character on Grey’s Anatomy until she left the show. Another element from Caldwell’s reading in today’s television programming would be Convergence text. This is when it’s not just the show, but multiplatform things that become part of the text which include the show, website, ect. This can be seen in the show Once Upon a Time on ABC. I can explore the show and get to know the characters if I visit the Once Upon a Time portion on the ABC website. I can also go to Facebook and like there page to get status updates about the show and special previews and clips about what is going to happen next. I can also follow the show on Twitter and see what they are saying to keep up to date on my favorite characters. It is a combination of all of these different types of media outside of the show that help make it more popular.
ReplyDeleteTo elements of Caldwell's I frequently see in the television I consume today are Programming Textuality and Conglomerating Textuality. In terms of programming textuality, stunts are very prevalent in television today. Shows such as Grey's Anatomy will air special episodes during sweeps weeks in order to attract a higher than representative audience. For example, I can remember a few years back Grey's Anatomy aired a special musical episode in which the the format of the show was completely changed into a musical format and had all the regular characters participating. This was a unique stunt because nothing like this had ever before been on the show. Additionally, conglomerating textuality for television programs is more popular than ever today. By using conglomerating textuality, programs are aiming to keep the viewers engaged after the show has aired. Shows such as Watch What Happens Live on the E! Network entice viewers by announcing that they will be having a live after show online immediately following the conclusion of the episode. This encourages viewers to continue to engage in the show following the program's broadcast.
ReplyDeleteOne of the first elements outlined by Caldwell that is visible throughout he television industry today is Ancillary Programming- the repurposing or migrating of content across various platforms. This is essentially the practice of “chopping up” content into desired, often shorter, segments that can be pulled from one station to another. Ancillary programming is utilized consistently on ESPN, and other sports stations and networks that routinely use clips and highlights from other stations in their broadcasts. This is especially visible during Sportcenter’s Top 10 countdown, which features a wide variety of media including videos from YouTube, cell phone and personal camera videos sent in from independent sources, sports highlights from different stations, etc...
ReplyDeleteAnother element described in Caldwell’s essay is Conglomerating Programming- or convergence text is the idea that of having multiple platforms where viewers can access information with the viewer. Networks will create websites for their shows where viewers can log on to and read information about the characters. Also, series can film “aftershows” which viewers can watch either online or on their television. The central premise is that it is not just about the episode anymore. There are so many places to access information and stay in-tuned with the show. This increases long-term viewing loyalty and a relationship between the viewer and the program. One example visible in television today is the Walking Dead “Aftershow,” entitled “Talking Dead,” a live program airing immediately following the episode that fans watch to learn more about the events of the episode.
Textuality and stunting are elements that Caldwell lists in his elements of convergence television. Typically shows do major events during these specific weeks to boost ratings; for example they have guest stars, deaths, pregnancies, marriages, cross network show collaborations and so on. Grey’s Anatomy is notorious for this – while its sister show Private Practice was on the air, there would be a cross over event for 2 hours during sweeps week. Additionally, every season there is one major disaster that causes a 2 to 3 episode arch; for example, the bomb squad in season 2, the ferry boat crash in season 3, a regular characters cancer revelation in season 4, etc. And in the finale’s every season, some kind of disaster strikes, whether it be someone being left at the alter, a plane crash, a shooter in the hospital, a surprise death of a regular, etc. The show just aired its last episode before the midseason break, and there was a big cliffhanger about one of the characters having to choose between two men on her wedding day. Similarly, the idea of convergence comes into play here, in that the showrunner has now forced all the castmembers to live-tweet the episodes each week. There were websites specifically for the characters weddings, where the fans could go and look at the dresses and flowers and cakes, etc. And there are always quizzes on the website ready to test your knowledge of the most recent episodes.
ReplyDeleteTwo elements of convergence television, as described by Caldwell, that are seen very often in the television I watch today are Ancillary Textuality and Conglomerating Textuality. Ancillary Textuality is described as the repurposing and migration of content, which I see most often in the show South Park. Caldwell states that through the technology today of viewing mediums, such as the Internet, it allows us to watch television on multiple platforms. As a result, the term “content” is reinvented. In this new description of content, it “frees programs for a year-long series and network- hosted logic and suggest that programs are quantities to be draw and quarted, deliverable on cable, shippable internationally, and streamable on the Net.” In its most recent season, South Park has taken advantage of this mostly in the way it defined its 17th season, which lasted for 10 episodes from September 25th to December 11th. Because it shortened its season but pushed a similar amount of episodes compared to its previous seasons, it allows them to push out the DVD sales quicker and upload the episodes onto Netflix, which allow the episodes to be constantly streamed.
ReplyDeleteThe second element seen on television is the use of Convergence Text. South Park takes advantage of this as well by integrating Twitter into their programming by live-Tweeting their reruns every week, which are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Other shows like The Office took advantage of this as well by putting content onto the NBC/The Office website like “Creed Thoughts.” “Creed Thoughts” was a personal diary of thoughts from the character Creed, which began as a joke from by the character Ryan but brought to life on the Internet. “Creed Thoughts” was only mentioned once, but the website allowed the viewers to see exactly what it was.