COMM 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Reality Television, Edmund Pettus Bridge, Lyndon B. Johnson
4 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
A popular myth is that television of the 1950s and early 1960s reflected a golden age of a prosperous and contented time in american life. (kovarik, The same complaints about the radio were voiced about tv, but maybe even more so. Lack of quality programming, too many commercials, under- representation of minorities, profits over public interest. Very popular, but many felt they were brain rot (cheap, easy to produce, lacking depth) A big scandal happened in the 1950s when they found out that quiz shows had been fully scripted and contestants had been coached to give right or wrong answers. Fcc wrote new regulations to try to make shows more honest. Reality television is not necessarily based on reality. While mild controversy was tolerated, and sometimes even celebrated, real social issues and serious change were rarely considered until the 1970s, when programs like archie bunker and mash went on air. But when television is bad, nothing is worse.
