The Reality TV Controversies
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REALITY TV PROGRAMSReality TV constitutes
non-fictional programs that supposedly provide a realistic account of
current or historical events or situations. Various reality TV programs
comprised interviews and talk shows; news and public affairs programming;
documentaries; entertainment-news and review programs, portrayed as a
re-creation of real world events.
Reality TV programs were initially launched by major networks in Europe and
the US. Fox TV, one of the first media companies to realize the potential of
reality TV, launched a series of tabloid and crime-based reality shows.
Three of its reality shows - A Current Affair, COPS and America's Most
Wanted topped the TV ratings. During the 1980s NBC, ABC and CBS also offered
reality TV shows [5].
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In the early 1990s, reality shows focused mainly on
tabloid news shows and reality-based entertainment-news programs. The
main growth sectors constituted syndicated talk shows, network
newsmagazines (including reality based police shows and tabloid shows).
Reality programming quickly became popular in North and South America
and Eastern and Western Europe[6] . In other parts of the world such as
Australia[7] , Asia and Africa, reality TV programming only picked up in
the late 1990s. Soon, almost all the major TV Networks in every country
got into reality TV programming. Most of these shows were based on
popular shows across the world. Country-specific versions of ‘Who Wants
to be a Millionaire,'‘The Weakest Link,'‘Survivor'and ‘Big Brother'attracted a large number of viewers (and recorded high TV ratings) even
in conservative Asian countries like Hong Kong, India[8], China, Russia[9],
Taiwan, and Japan. |
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The proximity of the presented reality to the experiences of
the viewers was a major reason for the success of reality TV shows. The huge
cash prizes also contributed to the success of these programs. Since, these
shows did not require actors and scriptwriters, they had low development costs.
As a result, reality TV was lucrative for TV channels (see Table II for
Advantages and Disadvantages of Reality TV).
However, the growing popularity of reality TV shows was accompanied by
opposition from critics, scholars and family associations on social,
psychological, moral and ethical grounds. Reality programs were criticized for
degrading morals, through high focus on tabloid shows. It was reported that
during the mid-1990s the advertisers, unwilling to associate their products to
such sensational and exploitative tabloid programs, refused to sponsor them.
However, the rising viewership for such programs and the growing competition in
the industry coaxed the advertisers back into sponsoring them.
Though reality TV programming also offered newsmagazines and entertainment and
education based shows, analysts claimed that there was an obsession of reality
TV producers towards the lives and loves of real people, tending to the inherent
voyeuristic nature in every human being (See Exhibit I and II for Genres of
Reality TV Programming and Most Popular and Criticized Reality TV Programs).
TABLE I ERAS OF TV PROGRAMING
REALITY TV PROGRAMS
TABLE II ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF REALITY TV
REALITY TV - THE DEBATE
THE FUTURE
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
EXHIBIT I GENRES OF REALITY TV PROGRAMMING
EXHIBIT II MOST POPULAR AND CRITICIZED REALITY TV SHOWS
ADDITIONAL READINGS & REFERENCES:
[5] Some of the most popular
reality shows offered by these networks during the late 1980s included
Unsolved Mysteries (NBC), Funniest Home Videos (ABC) and Rescue 911 (CBS).
[6] Interestingly, in the early years, the US had been far behind other
countries in offering such competition and violence based shows that catered
to the voyeuristic nature of the viewers. US TV networks developed such
programs only after the success of European programs like Survivor and Big
Brother (during the mid 1990s). Currently US TV networks are leading the
reality TV market; other TV networks worldwide are imitating their programs.
[7] Though ABC, an Australian TV network, had been one of the pioneers of
the reality TV shows, the concept gained popularity only in the late 1990s.
[8] Unlike the reality TV programming offered globally, Indian networks
focused on game shows (Kaun Banega Crorepati, Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke and
Kamzor Kadi Kaun) and entertainment-based (Chupa Rustum) programs rather
than on sex and violence based programs. Even though Indian reality programs
were not vulgar, they were accused of promoting gambling, violating the
privacy of individuals and encouraging the desire for easy money.
[9] The most popular reality TV shows in Russia included “Za Steklom”
(Behind the Glass), TV6 and the Russian version of Survivor. These shows
were criticized severely by Russian religious and conservative groups.
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