Television and FunEssay Preview: Television and FunReport this essayA few decades ago television consisted of a small number of channels, today however there are more different channels than one can watch in a full day. Because a media companys number one goal, like every other corporation, is to earn the largest profit possible, media companies use segmentation to target niche audiences. Moreover, fragmentationĂ–the large increase in the number of channelsĂ–has also created niche audiences. So, whats the big deal with fragmentation and audience segmentation? By creating niche audiences, both fragmentation and segmentation make advertisers jobs easier. For instance, if a company wants to advertise toys, then the company will buy airtime on the network Nickelodeon; since Nickelodeon has childrens programming. The creation of niche audiences produces certain social questions about free will and freedom of speech; because audience groups are created and constructed. The following paper will examine two cable networks, Comedy Central and Oxygen, to determine the effects of such programming.
First off, Oh! The Oxygen Network aired the film Whale Rider on the night of Monday, April 5, 2004. The following will be an analysis of the advertisements that were shown from nine to ten oclock, and thus one can determine which audiences were targeted. Whale Rider is a film about a young Maori girl that wants to be the next leader of her tribe, but is at the same time shown resistance from her grandfather. Paikea, the young girl, wants to participate in the training sessions conducted by her grandfather; but her grandfather is old fashioned and doesnt believe that a girl can become the chief. Paikea knows that she is destined to be the next chief and gets in trouble a number of times for her relentless attempts at trying to participate in the exercises. The movie has a subplot dealing with the relationship between Paikea and her father, but the film mainly revolves around Paikeas struggle to prove herself worthy to her grandfather Koro. Even though Paikea is much better than the boys at performing the ceremonial exercises, her grandfather is blinded by his prejudice. The film ends with a herd of whales being attracted to Paikea and getting stranded on the beach. Koro finally accepts Paikeas destiny when she risks her life by riding on the back of a whale to direct them back to the ocean. The advertisements that were aired during the film included weight loss productsĂ–such as Jenny Craig, hair and beauty productsĂ–such as Revlon lipstick and Loreal shampoo, womens media productsĂ–such as the Ellen Show and the film Riding in Cars with boys, foodĂ–such as Prego and Pop Secret Popcorn, cleaning itemsĂ–such as Woolite and Lysol, birth controlĂ–such as Ortho Evva patch, car insuranceĂ–such as Geiko and Allstate, and department storesĂ–such as Steinmart. Surprisingly there were only four commercial breaks within the hour each lasting about three minutes.
Its not hard to decipher that the typical Oxygen viewer is a female in her thirties, white, and suburban. The Oxygen Network tries to compete with LifetimeÖanother womens networkÖby targeting an younger audience. Usually Lifetime airs Golden Girl episodes or a clichԊ movie that portrays Princess Diana, for example. The film Whale Rider is very contemporary and appeals to a younger demographic because of its vibrant scenes, and the fact that the protagonist is young. The characters in the film are also more likely to be accepted by a young generation, where as an older person would not be able to relate to some of the characters. For example, the film contains a scene in which the elderly women are smoking marijuana. Paikeas father also does the unconventional by deciding to go to Europe where he fell in love with a woman; all this while his daughter stayed with his parents. Moreover, one can easily tell that the network is targeting the female demographic. Just the plot of the movie makes this point undeniable: a young girl overcoming the hardship of discrimination. In my opinion the film is meant to target a person that is inner directed as according to the VALS system. The movie deals with a social issueÖdiscrimination, the protagonist has a missionÖto prove herself worthy and fulfill her destiny, and the film is, for a lack of a better word, artsy. People who are inner directed have lifestyles that are mission oriented, individualistic, socially involved and artistic. The film fits the inner directed psychograph perfectly. Furthermore, the commercials aired on the network correspond to the stereotypical thirty year old woman. For example, make up and hair products are mainly used by women. The food items mentioned, a pasta sauce named Prego and Pop Secret Popcorn, are items that a typical woman would be interested in. In a household, the woman usually prepares the food and cleans the house, thus it makes sense that the food and cleaning commercials would be shown on the Oxygen Network. There were a number of car insurance commercials during the film because women are good customers for insurance companies. Women tend to be more responsible than men and thus are less likely to be in an accident or miss a payment. The fact that the Ortho Evva birth control patch was advertised suggests that the audience is young; since birth control is mainly used by women in their twenties and thirties. On the other hand the psychographic characteristics of the film did not correspond with the characteristics of the advertisements. In my opinion the products were aimed at outer directed individuals. For instance, Jenny Craig, the weight loss product, targets people that are concerned about their image and want to impress others. The hair product and make up commercials also convey the same message by showing a famous celebrity or a young beautiful woman looking stunning because they use a certain product. People who are outer directed are belongers and emulators and live lifestyles that are visible and material.
The next analysis will be of Comedy Central and the shows South Park and Chappelles Show which aired on Wednesday, April 7, 2004 from nine to ten oclock. South Park is a thirty minute comedy that is aired on Comedy Central and is produced and created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The show originally grew out of a short film entitled “Jesus vs. Frosty” that was animated and created by the duo. Four foulmouthed children, Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Kenny, are the main characters, and they have outlandish and bizarre adventures in the town of South Park, Colorado. The show is one of Comedy Centrals most successful shows and is now in its eighth season. This specific episode was a parody of the film Save the Last Dance.
The following analysis will be of Comedy Central and the shows South Park. It was originally a nine minute comedy airing on Comedy Central and is produced and produced by the duo. The plot centers on what happened to Mr. North at the end of the first episode, which is not considered part of this review.
The following analysis will be of Comedy Central and the shows South Park. It was originally a nine minute comedy airing on Comedy Central and is produced and has been animated by the duo. The characters are played by Christopher Lloyd and are all male.
The following analysis will be of Comedy Central and the shows South Park. It is originally a nine minute comedy airing on Comedy Central and is produced and has been animated by the duo. The characters are played by James Corden and are all male.
The following analysis will be of Comedy Central and the shows South Park. It was originally a nine minute comedy airing on Comedy Central and is produced and has been animated by the duo. The characters are played by Christopher Lloyd and are all male.
The following analysis will be of Comedy Central and the episodes. The characters have appeared five times in nine seasons of South Park. All of these stories involve their own characters, characters that appear to be based off the works of Neil Gaiman or Charles Dickens… or both in a pinch. Comedy Central was formed in 1997 by comedians Mark Burnett and Dan Harmon in response to an editorial outcry about the lack of diversity on the show’s website. ⢠Comedy Central is an original American show that has no history of being run by any particular ethnic group and with very few exceptions, there is also an extremely specific portrayal of black people in the show being made by a black couple. ⢠Comedy Central was an original American show where all episodes of South Park are based on the works of Neil Gaiman or Charles Dickens. ⢠Comedy Central was an original American comedy that takes place in a fictional American county. ⢠Comedy Central is an original American comedy that is based on the work of Gene Hackman of the BBC and is made in the U.S.S.R. and a number of European countries. ⢠Comedy Central is an original American sitcom set in a fictional American town. ⢠Comedy Central is a original American sitcom based on the work of Gene Hackman of the BBC. ⢠Comedy Central is on the cover and has a black female lead.[sup] ⢠Comedy Central is designed to be viewed as a show that has been run for only four years.[sup] ⢠Comedy Central is an animated series based on the work of Neil Gaiman or of the author of American Civil War comics and television films, G. R