The Commercialization of Television

Obviously, amusement is not the unique product of contemporary television technology. Entertainment existed before television and expressed itself in oral and print cultures, as the jester's antics and tabloids' sensationalism so patently evidence. But today, television's phenomenal appeal has placed a markedly new premium on the pursuit of pleasure ⁵⁶ ­­ recall that people spend as much time with their television sets as they do at their jobs. In addition to the technological attributes of television, the commercial use to which it is put significantly determines its entertainment direction. ⁵⁷ The commerciality of television thus plays a critical role in determining the directions of its programming. A direct correlation exists between the popularity of a program and the generation of commercial advertising revenues. Popularity, of course, is generally an appeal to mass appetites­­typically a minimum of a thirty percent share of all viewers at a given time. ⁵⁸ The desire for popularity, and in turn, profits, gives rise to television's "'predictable entrepreneurial problem"': "How do [producers and advertisers] get maximum audience for maximum return?" ⁵⁹ Generally, in attempting to maximize profits, commercial television networks reach for the lowest common denominator in discourse. ⁶⁰ With profit­maximization as the governing norm, television distorts traditional first­amendment values by "'associating the lowest passions with the highest ideals."' ⁶¹ In this environment, it is not surprising that, when the CBS flagship television station in New York had to choose between a game show, Win, Lose or Draw, and Dan Rather's evening news for the desirable seven p.m. time slot, the game show won. ⁶²

By necessity, commercial television favors noncontroversial and uncomplicated programming. ⁶³ From an advertiser's standpoint, serious public affairs programming may prove so volatile or complex as to discourage commercial support. A mass medium heavily dependent on such support will inevitably program with a bias to avoiding viewer controversy or perplexity. ⁶⁴ With broad­based popularity as its key standard, and the avoidance of controversy as its watch phrase, commercial television inhibits the important first­amendment value of diversity of subject and opinion. ⁶⁵ Indeed, the touted promise of cable television to diversify content may well not be realized. In all likelihood, the economics of the commercial broadcast medium will foreclose any other result. As commercial networks increase their holdings in the cable industry, ⁶⁶ the entrepreneurial chase for advertising revenues ⁶⁷ and maximum achievable market shares ⁶⁸ indicates that more and more cable programming will mirror network entertainment shows. ⁶⁹