Updated: 01/30/2002

Copyright, Dr. Janet McMullen

The FLOW.....

In the first chapter of his text, Jeremy Butler discusses the importance of the concept of "flow" for television.  What do is the significance of "flow?"  (Discuss)

Programmers have long been very aware of the significance of audience flow:

• inflow:  The audience flowing into a show from the previous one

• outflow: The audience flowing out of a show into the next one

• hammock:  A time slot between two strong shows which is virtually assured of good ratings because of audience flow in and out of the surrounding programs

Paul Klein understood the underlying principles of audience flow early in the development of television.  He believed that people didn't watch programs, they watch television.   Out of that came his LOP programming theory: People watch the least objectionable program.

Television is unique in that it exists as a continuous flow of programming, information, texts....and how we understand and enjoy any part of it may be significantly influenced by the flow.....

Q: What are some of the ways that can happen?

   [ flipping, zipping, zapping;  strong local news builds ratings for network news cast and vice versa; E.R. builds audience for WAFF 10 p.m. news.; roll of promos; stunting; Olympics, etc.]

Butler discusses three important ramifications of television flow:

• polysemy

• interruption

• segmentation

Polysemy: (pahlee' seemee; pul'isumy)  many meanings

Television may offer many meanings of family, heroism, danger, responsibility.  Look at several programs in the prime time line up and see how they represent different interpretations of values....

• How is motherhood represented in

  • All in the Family

  • Leave it to Beaver

  • Married with Children

  • Roseanne

  • Wonder Years

  • Cosby Show

So how can we say television has meaning in all of these different representations?  Butler offers three ground rules to help:

1.  A segment of television's flow is a text

• This is true regardless of how long or short the segment is

• This text is made up of components, just like words and phrases in a literary text

  • lighting

  • music

  • shots

  • motion

  • editing

  • dialogue

  • performances
    
    To understand the true significance of the text, you have to learn how to understand the components

2.  A television text does not represent all meanings equitably

• some meanings will be emphasized and others ignored

• creators of television texts have perspectives and biases which are represented in their work

   It is the role of the critic to evaluate which meanings are emphasized and how that is accomplished.  The critic has to be aware of different levels and types of meaning in the culture and how they can be expressed in television in order to do that.

• Television's polysemy is structured  :  the formats and rules of the culture and of the medium all have meaning and also set limits on the kinds of meaning which can be expressed in the medium   (don't over-emphasize this)

3.  Viewing television is participation in discourse.

•  Discourse is the cultural conversation communicated by all of the signs, symbols and codes of a culture.

•  John Fiske defines discourse as:  "a language or system of representation that has developed socially in order to make and circulate a coherent set of meanings about an important topic area."

•  We learn these discourses as we are socialized into the culture and as we continue to communicate and interact in it

• The dominant discourses of the society are taken for granted -- they seem so obvious that they are seen as "common sense".  So we don't notice when they are portrayed in TV.  Rather, it seems "normal".

Interruption and Sequence: 

Television is by nature constantly interrupted...

Self-interruption:

• commercials

• promos'

• programs begin and end

• news segments

We interrupt ourselves...

• trips to get something to eat, to bathroom

• flipping, zipping, zapping

These interruptions DEFINE television viewing.    What does that mean?

[TV is different from any other medium for that reason; define formats, program time limits, attention span, type of characters, type of content, etc.]

Segmentation:

That discontinuous nature of the medium dictates the basic structure of television texts....

Everything is in segments!

• Programs are broken into acts that allow for commercials

• News programs are broken into segments containing various packages

• Story lines don't flow naturally, rather they have to be structured to fit the commercial breaks

• Even product messages can't be created for the greatest impact, rather, they have to fit limited time and structural constraints.

The segmentation of television leads to two major concerns for programmers and producers:

• How to construct segments so that viewers will continue to watch

• How do the segments fit together so as not to drive viewers away

Resources:

Brown, Les.  Television: The Business Behind the Box

Butler, Jeremy.  Television: Critical Methods and Applications. (Mahway, NJ: LEA, 2002)

Fiske, John.  Television Culture  (New York: Metheun, 1987)