Syllabus: The control of Popular Culture (Television)

S: identify the stakeholders in the control of television including: media, groups,

marketers, governments, family and peers.

• The media are largely in control of what viewers see and when. E.g. Newsworthy

• Nine network= 31.5% share of market• Seven network= 28.7%• Ten network= 21.3%• ABC= 15%• SBS= 5%

Increase: ABC, Ten and SBS over last ten years ^2-3%

What is a stakeholder?

• Anyone who has a vested interest in or is affected by an issue. E.g. media, groups, marketers, governments, family and peers.

Groups and Organisations

• Some groups and organisations have a common interests aim to prevent the prevalence of violence or sex scenes on television or uphold moral standards to a level they consider appropriate.

E.g. Choice= Children and Junk food ads

Pro-Family Perspectives= Home and Away Lesbian Kiss

Marketers

• Marketing companies are crucial to television, as without their funding the commercial stations would not exist.

• The companies control WHAT products are advertised, WHEN & HOW.

• E.g. Specialist Marketing companies such as Zoot Review and Brand Power.

Government Regulation

• The Australian Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice is a self-regulatory code adopted by free-to-air broadcasters in the Australian media.

• Although developed by industry, the code has been registered (as the regulatory regime permits) with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

• The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (Australia) (DBCDE) portfolio. The ACMA is tasked with ensuring most elements of Australia's media and communications legislation, related regulations, and numerous derived standards and codes of practice operate effectively and efficiently, and in the public interest.

• The ACMA is also a 'converged' regulator, created to bring together the threads of the evolving communications universe, specifically in the Australian context the convergence of the four 'worlds' of telecommunications, broadcasting, radiocommunications and the internet. The ACMA was formed on 1 July 2005 by a merger of the responsibilities of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and the Australian Communications Authority. It was created, as least in part, to respond to the observed and anticipated changes brought about by this convergence and is one of only a handful of converged communications regulators in the world.

E.g. Big Brother Uncut, 2006• Breach of ACMA Code of Practice

http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_100478• For the 2006 series of Big Brother, Network Ten appointed two censors to review the

show instead of one.Federal Minister for Communications Senator Helen Coonan is reported to say she would be keeping a "close watch on the show's 2006 series". This controversy resulted in Big Brother Uncut being renamed Big Brother: Adults Only for the 2006 season of Big Brother. In two separate findings, the Australian Communications and Media Authority determined Network Ten breached clause 2.4 of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice. These two breaches were in relation to the broadcast of Big Brother Uncut on 30 May, 13 June and 4 July 2005. The broadcast material was not classified according to the Television Classification Guidelines.

• Despite toning down Big Brother: Adults Only significantly in comparison to 2005, the series continued to attract controversy. After Big Brother: Adults Only was abruptly cancelled several weeks early, a subsequent incident of alleged sexual assault in the house saw the removal of two housemates and a huge public outcry calling for the series to be cancelled entirely.[13] This incident generated significant publicity for the show, even prompted the Prime Minister of Australia to call Network Ten to "do a bit of self-regulation and get this stupid program off the air."[14]

• On 8 October 2008, The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found Network Ten guilty of breaching the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice by using subliminal advertising during the broadcast of the 2007 ARIA Music Awards on 28 October 2007.[16] Network Ten had inserted single frames (lasting 1/25th of a second) into the program broadcast. This was exposed on ABC's Media Watch program.[17][18]

Media Watch- Aria controversy

• Aria Awards break Code of Practice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXcSWTb9zz8

Underbelly controversy over frontal male nudity

Darren Devlyn, Erin McWhirter February 20, 2009 12:00am

AUSTRALIA'S hottest TV show Underbelly, has had plenty of complaints about its graphic sex and violence - but it's about to get worse.

Nine's hit series is set to plunge into deeper controversy with a scene depicting frontal male nudity.

In the episode to screen on Monday week, a naked Mark "Chopper" Read intimidates criminal Laurie Prendergast in a prison shower block.

The real Read had expressed interest in playing himself in the series, suggesting he could slim down and dye his hair black for the role.

But producers cast newcomer Renato Fabretti as Read, the earless enforcer who became one of Melbourne's most notorious criminals. Several viewers and family groups expressed concern over Monday's episode, which featured intimate scenes between heroin kingpin Terry Clark (played by Matthew Newton) and his drug-running mistress Allison (Anna Hutchison), saying they edged on soft porn.

Under the Commercial Television Code of Conduct, Channel 9 is within its rights to telecast the M-rated show at 8.30pm, which is considered the start of adult viewing in prime time on weekdays.

"The 8.30pm time slot isn't a family friendly zone, it's always been the adults' time slot," Nine's chief classification officer Richard Lyle said.

Nine received about 30 viewer complaints about last Monday's episode.

Source: SMH

Governments• Funding contributions by the government are

given to the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABC).

• Est in 1932 (ABC) it remains Aus only NATIONAL, NON-COMMERICAL BROADCASTER.

• Est in 1978. Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) also receives funding, which means both these stations are accountable to the government for the content and political messages aired. Multicultural content

Family

• Exert control over television at the micro level by….

- Control the content (what is on). E.g. watching news, editing possible violence or nudity

- Control when television is viewed. E.g. times (late nite or at dinner time)

- Control how much television is watched. (Time limit)

Peers

• May influence what is watched and when by…

- Peer pressure! Discussion at lunch of the issues/themes of the show

- Desire to be accepted. It becomes ‘cool’ to watch a certain show

S: Ownership of television

• Television is highly institutionalised with the central regulating body being the ABA.

• Institutionalised: incorporated into a structured system.

• Rules of ownership and content screening are set out in the Broadcasting Services Act (1992) and seek to regulate the concentration of ownership across different groups:

- Different sectors- Different media- Foreign ownership

• See table of television ownership and control on p.217 of Red Book Booklet.

Think about:

- Discuss the benefits of government ownership of some channels

- Are the limits placed on potential audience reach reasonable? (75%)

S: Issues of access, including: age, gender, location, ethnicity, sexuality• P.218