Backgrounder: reality television

Extract

[...] With the huge success of reality shows like American Idol, Survivor, The Real World, The Bachelor and others, it is of no surprise that reality television remains one of the most popular types of program genres to this day. Current Situation: Steve Reiss and James Wiltz of Psychology Today said, “even if you don't watch reality television, it's becoming increasingly hard to avoid. The salacious Temptation Island was featured on the cover of People Magazine. Big Brother aired five days a week and could be viewed on the web 24 hours a day, and the Survivor finale dominated the front page of the New York Post after gaining ratings that rivaled those of the Super Bowl[8].” Reality TV remains popular and has even increased ratings for cable networks with VH1's Flavor of Love drawing in six million viewers to its finale in 2006, which was the highest rated show in the network's history. [...]

[...] VH1 coined the term for these programs as “celebreality.” Types of Reality Television programs: The ever growing popularity of reality TV has led to various types that include: documentary style, special living environment, celebrity reality, professional activities, elimination/game shows, dating competitions, job searches, self improvement/makeovers, sports, dating shows, hidden cameras, talk shows and hoaxes[10]. Documentary style involves real-life locations and is unscripted; an example is MTV's Laguna Beach. Special living environment style involves placing characters in artificial living environments like that of MTV's The Real World. [...]

[...] Reality Television Expenses v. Network Drama Program Expenses: There is a large difference between the amount of money spent on a typical reality show and that spent on a TV drama. While a reality crime show like that of COPS cost $150,000 to $250,000 a week, a network drama cost on average million for an hour show. Producers attribute the longevity of such programs to their ability to tell “good stories” and the fact that they are free from the capriciousness of actors or scripts. [...]

[...] Reality television has evolved since its humble beginnings and with the start of the twenty-first century came an increased popularity in the genre. The show Survivor opened to large audiences and became a huge success. “Reality TV in the twenty-first century,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, “represents a new way of telling a story which is half fiction- the producers and creators set up a universe, they give it rules, they make a setting, they cast it according to specific guidelines as to who they think are going to provide good pyrotechnics[6].” The success of reality television has been attributed to the idea that viewers can easily identify with program's contestants and individuals as they know they are not acting and reading a script, they are being real. [...]

[...] However, people who are made famous by having their most intimate conversations overheard by millions of TV viewers stand to lose more than just their privacy- they have surrendered their self-respect as well[14].” The entertainment chief of Warner Brothers, Jordan Levin, said this about reality TV, think you have to be very careful with reality programming because it can be very seductive, but it can start to force you into a place where you're juggling your schedule to satisfy a very long short-term fix[15].” Reality television has also been seen as negative by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) who have complained that shows like MTV's I Want a Famous Face and The Swan are sending people to plastic surgeons for the wrong reasons. [...]