Television Genres

1
Television Genres

• History

2
In the Beginning

• In the 30s, radio programming consisted of soap
  operas, minstrel shows, news, and commentary and
  sporting events.

3
The 50s

• In the early days of television, television
  producers found advertisers to sponsor the
  production of an entire show. They bought the
  entire program. This put great pressure on the
  producers for ratings.
• Television was mostly in the afternoons and the
  evenings.
• This was an age of conformity and confidence.
• Television programming consisted of variety shows
  from vaudeville radio. Many were based on ethic
  humor.

4

• Sitcoms were popularized. They could be shown in
  rerun for additional profit.
• Sitcoms replaced the variety shows which were
  complicated to produce and quickly dated.
• Games shows were popularized.

5

• Sitcoms were popularized. They could be shown in
  rerun for additional profit.
• Sitcoms replaced the variety shows which were
  complicated to produce and quickly dated.
• The 50s saw the spread of television to less
  urban areas. Therefore, TV began to portray the
  typical American conforming to suburban
  white-bred ideals.
• Everything important happened in New York.

6
The 60s

• Networks turned away from live production in
  prime time to filming a tapped series which was
  more predictable and safer to sponsors.
• Amendments were made to the Communications Act.
  It was illegal for the outcome of any contest of
  skill or knowledge to be put forward in any way
  that was prearranged. Stations had to make it
  clear on the air when money or other
  considerations is received from broadcast
  material.

7

• TV producers took full control of content and
  production. They produced a show and sold
  commercial time. Advertisers bought amounts of
  time in the form of commercials. Removing
  advertisers from direct involvement eliminated
  the urge to interfere with the content to boost
  ratings.
• In the 50s and 60s, networks usually contract a
  series for one season. It was rare to cancel the
  show before the season ended.

8

• Escapist comedies, westerns and detective shows
  replaced the game shows of the 50s.

9
70s

• In the 70s, networks would cancel a show after
  only a few months or weeks on the air. There was
  little chance to build an audience.
• Applause tracks were used on most variety shows.
• Production returned to the studio audience.

10

• Westerns declined during the 70s. The main
  cause was over-exposure however, the advent of
  the space program opened viewers to a new
  frontier.
• The civil rights movement and war created doubt
  in the values of Americans.

11
The 80s

• Soaps were replaced by Talk Shows and Reality TV.

12
The 90s

• Reality TV continued to thrive and game shows
  were once again popularized.