Genre Studies in Mass Media: A Handbook

A Handbook

Art Silverblatt

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781317469964
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Economics
• Subtopic: Economic Policy
• Index: Economics

The study of various types of programming is essential for critical analysis of the media and also offers revealing perspectives on society's cultural values, preoccupations, behavior, and myths. This handbook provides a systematic, in-depth approach to the study of media genres - including reality programs, game shows, situation comedies, soap operas, film noir, news programs, and more. The author addresses such questions as: Have there been shifts in the formula of particular genres over time? What do these shifts reveal about changes in culture? How and why do new genres - such as reality TV shows - appear? Are there differences in genres from one country to another? Combining theoretical approaches with concrete examples, the book reinforces one's understanding of the importance of genre to the creation, evolution, and consumption of media content. Each chapter in this reader-friendly book contains a detailed discussion of one of the theoretical approaches to genre studies, followed by Lines of Inquiry, which summarizes the major points of the discussion and suggests directions for analysis and further study. Each chapter also includes an example that illustrates how the particular theoretical approach can be applied in the analysis of genre. The author's careful linkage of different genres to the real world makes the book widely useful for those interested in genre study as well as media and culture, television studies, film studies, and media literacy.

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Introduction

Overview

We are all familiar with TV reality shows such as The Apprentice, Survivor, or Big Brother. But what exactly is a reality show? What elements are common to all of these programs? Their shared characteristics are what define the reality genre.

The word genre simply means “order.” As applied to artistic works, a genre is a type, class, or category of presentation that shares distinctive and easily identifiable features. Examples of genres include romances, science fiction, situation comedies, and news programming. Even popular music falls within basic genres—or, as they are more commonly known, formats. Radio stations are organized around particular formats, such as country, rhythm and blues, hip-hop, and talk radio.

A genre can be identified by its own distinctive patterns in premise, plot, structure, character, worldview, style, and conventions. Because of these characteristic elements, genric programming (that is, a program that belongs to a particular genre) can be considered as a body of work. Brian G. Rose explains: “The term genre implies that these groups of formal or technical characteristics exist among works of the same kind, regardless of time or place of composition, author, or subject matter.”¹ (For a discussion of formula, see Chapter 3.)

Because most media programs belong to a particular genre, such as science fiction or romantic comedy, a genre acts as a portal through which the audience typically receives media messages. Each genre presents a consistent worldview that shapes the ways we think about our world.

A Media Literacy Approach to Genre Studies

A media literacy approach to genre studies presents a range of approaches to the study of genres. Becoming familiar with these various approaches provides students with a number of theoretical “lenses” through which they can conduct primary research into the genre. These strategies also provide a framework that can facilitate the discussion of media content with others—including children, peers, and the people responsible for producing media programming. Media literacy also enables students to apply these approaches to areas not generally thought of as genres, such as political cartoons, radio talk shows, and Internet blogs.

This text incorporates many of the principles and strategies of media literacy to the study of genre. Media literacy is a critical thinking skill that is applied to the source of most of our information—the channels of mass communications. Media literacy offers a critical framework for the systematic analysis of media messages, that is, the underlying themes or ideas contained in a media presentation. These messages work on several levels:

• Manifest messages are direct and clear to the audience. We generally have little trouble recognizing these messages when we are paying full attention to a media presentation.

• Latent messages are indirect and beneath the surface, and, consequently, escape our immediate attention. Latent messages may reinforce manifest messages or may suggest entirely different meanings.

• Cumulative messages occur with such frequency over time that they form new meanings, independent of any individual production. Consistent messages appear in media presentations with regard to gender roles, definitions of success, and racial and cultural stereotypes. These cumulative messages are then reinforced through the countless hours of media programming.

Media literacy should not be understood merely as an opportunity to bash the media. A well-produced media presentation can provide audiences with enormous benefit and pleasure. Indeed, the media literacy approach to genre studies should enhance individuals’ enjoyment and appreciation of a particular genre. At the same time, genre studies encourages individuals to look outside of the boundaries of a particular genre, to explore other genres or avant-garde programming that flies beneath the radar of mainstream channels of the media.

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Process

Analysis: Function

Overview

Function refers to the purpose for creating and receiving media presentations. As it relates to genre study, a function approach addresses the following questions:

• Why do media communicators produce particular genres?

• What purposes are served by watching a genre such as a horror film or a reality show?

• Why are people (both media communicators and their audience) attracted to particular genres?

• What can we learn about a genre by identifying its functions?

Genres generally share a common manifest function. Manifest function refers to a clear purpose for producing or receiving genric programming. As an example, in news programming (e.g., newspaper articles, news magazine shows, or Sunday morning interview programs), the manifest purpose is to provide information to the public. However, a genre may also fulfill a number of latent functions as well. Latent functions are secondary purposes that may not be immediately obvious to the audience. Taking the news genre as an example, in 2005 it was disclosed that the U.S. Department of Education had paid conservative columnist Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind education initiative on his syndicated television program. Thus, although Armstrong’s audience thought that the function of the program was to provide information, Williams was actually being paid to persuade his audience to support Bush’s education initiative.

The manifest function of a genre is often subordinate to its latent purposes. For instance, websites directed at children typically include games, with the chance to win free “stuff.” However, the contest forms that they fill out are actually marketing surveys that furnish marketing firms with invaluable data they can use as the children grow up. Moreover, marketing companies often sell this information to other companies who want to separate children from their money.

In addition, a genric program may contain multiple functions. For instance, the summer 2005 reality series The Scholar (ABC), which was a competition among ten high school seniors, contained a series of manifest functions:

• Education: The contestants competed in a variety of academic challenges. Consequently, the audience had the opportunity to learn about a variety of academic subjects.

• Entertainment: The format of the show was designed to make the competition exciting, interesting, and entertaining.

• Community service: The series provided educational opportunities for the participants. The winner received a grand prize of a full college scholarship, valued at $250,000, covering tuition and expenses. In addition, the other contestants received scholarships totaling $300,000.

• Advertising: The sponsor of the series, Wal-Mart, appeared during the commercial breaks, promoting its stores and products.

In addition, the program contained layers of latent functions:

• Product integration: Wal-Mart entered into a branded-entertainment agreement with the reality series. This means that, in addition to the commercials, Wal-Mart was actually incorporated into each episode. For instance, in one of the “events,” the five members of the winning team each received a $2,000 Wal-Mart gift card to outfit their dormitory rooms.

• Image enhancement: Sponsorship of shows like The Scholar was designed to send positive messages to its young audience about Wal-Mart, to counter the recent negative publicity about the company’s low salaries, deficient employee benefits, and frequent violations of safety codes, as well as news stories about the impact of these mega-stores on small businesses as they spread into local communities.

Significantly, the Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Foundation’s program only offered these scholarships to students in towns where it operated stores and distribution centers—offering a subtle inducement for the young audience to welcome Wal-Mart stores to their communities.

Occasionally, genres are designed to fulfill several competing functions, which can actually undermine each function. As an example, TV journalism was originally established as a public service. But in order to remain economically competitive, broadcast journalists have been pressured to present information in an entertaining fashion. However, these information and entertainment functions may conflict with one another. Thus while some information is complex and difficult (if not tedious) to understand, journalists often feel compelled to dress up their reports, which alters the content in the process. And increasingly, TV news presents entertainment as news, so that Michael Jackson’s legal troubles and Jennifer Lopez’s love life have become the fodder of news broadcasts. In 2004, the ABC news magazine 20/20 featured a story about adoption, entitled “Be My Baby,” that contained the formulaic elements of a reality show. The news magazine program followed a sixteen-year-old mother from Ohio as she selected among the five couples vying to raise her baby. Co-anchors John Stessei and Barbara Walters promoted the hour-long news segment as a reality show. Stessei declared, “Barbara will bring you what might be called the ultimate reality show. As you watch, a pregnant teenager will decide which of five couples gets her baby.” Walters added, “We were joking about the fact that it’s like ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘The Bachelorette’: you are in or out tonight.”¹

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of figures and tables
• Preface
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Process
• 3. Formulaic Analysis
• 4. Historical Context
• 5. Cultural Context
• 6. Ideological Approach
• 7. Production Elements
• 8. Industry Perspective
• 9. Mythic Approach
• Notes
• Index