Good Television Presentation - Case Study Example

Good Television Presentation Preface Television technology revolutionized media to a large extent. It was said that John F. Kennedy had not won the 1960 elections if not for the then new notion that was television. Millions of people in the United States of America were hooked on the screens as the youthful-looking Kennedy exuded confidence and appropriate grace and charisma in the heated debates with Richard M. Nixon. (THE KENNEDY-NIXON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES, 1960. The Museum of Broadcast Communications. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: ). The television indeed made a president of the greatest power on earth. The tube had become a power. The television is the embodiment of the merger and consolidation of knowledge, information, feelings, ideas and entertainment. The death of the beautiful Princess Diana gained such a magnitude of outpouring of sentiments and emotions. Those feelings went into wild dimensions as if the heart of the whole world reacted with sorrow and grief, some with anger. Television made the global sadness more expressed, from words of love to praises aired by those who greatly admired the royal lady to the thousands of roses laid across all over. (Lewis, Jone Johnson. Death of Diana, Princess of Wales Grief and Mourning Over the Peoples Princess. About.com: Women’s History. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: < http://womenshistory.about.com/od/diana/a/diana_death.htm>.) The impact and repercussions of television as a medium of communications are of immense influence on people. There was an anecdote saying that one investor of Bernard Madoff threw tomatoes on the television set while watching the alleged scammer being led by cops into the court house. That was at a time when the anger of those who entrusted their money heightened and peaked owing to the humongous character of the swindle, said to be the biggest ever. (Interactive timeline: The fall of Bernard Madoff. FT.com. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: < http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc1ceb9e-ebd5-11dd-8838-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1>.) Indeed, television is playing a major role the in people’s lives and in society. Together with the internet and the web, television has become the frontrunner in linking and providing interactions in the international community. For the common housewife, the soap operas which the home television delivers into the domestic domain give valuable breaks from the monotony of daily chores. In legal circles, former American President Bill Clinton used the television to convey the declarations in his defence. (Clinton Admits To Wrong Relationship With Lewinsky. all politics. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: .) Television has many facets the two major of which are news and entertainment. The sub-parts are sports, celebrity gossips, opinions, movies and, of course, advertisements, the life blood of the television industry because of the money that matters the most. (Weiss, Doyle L. Does TV advertising really affect sales? The role of measures, models, and data aggregation. All Business A D&B Company. [internet] Accessed July 30. 2009. Available at: .) Sports features can be both news and entertainment while celebrity gossips may be partly informal news and partly entertainment. Movies which are documentary or true-to-life stories may be in the dual genre of entertainment and news. Fiction films are more to entertain than to inform. Discussion For now, the two biggest contenders in world television coverage are the British Broadcasting Company or BBC and the Cable News Network or CNN. BBC started early in December 1922. (Spartacus, BBC. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: .) Upon the other hand, CNN began relatively recently, that is, on June 1, 1980, when it was launched. (CNN - History: Encyclopedia II - CNN – History. ARTICLES RELATED TO CNN – History. Global Oneness. Accessed on: July 30, 2009. < http://www.experiencefestival.com/cnn_-_history>.) There are other big networks in the international landscape like the American Broadcasting Company. Television shows come and go. Those which fare well in viewership ratings live up to the contracted length of the season or seasons. As a matter of fact, some make it to certain extensions under the cover of public demand which only means that the television audience continues to patronize the segments. Some programs become hits due to intrigues or gossip items. At any rate, television will remain for so long a time yet. Its current possible predator is the internet as new fads over mobile news and entertainment have started to fascinate the market. (Is the Internet Killing Television? October 22, 2007. AC Associated Content. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: .) It must be noted though that television companies have likewise initiated efforts toward the new evolutions. The manner of presentation of television shows or programs is a key factor in getting the patronage of the viewers and this has become particularly true because of technological advances in communications. For instance, the cartoons of yesteryears are totally different from the cartoons of today. Animations have become so modern and look like the real thing. In the case of news and talk shows, the anchors and hosts are major players in winning audience following. From their appearance to the ways of dealing with new developments in the television world, these personalities are significant dynamics to stay in the business. This explains that even media- men who are near retirement have to upgrade themselves with computer use and with other high technological equipment, tools and paraphernalia. One small mistake or error during the show can blow up into a disaster. Larry King, an establishment himself in the trade, was once severely criticized by so many after his interview with Paris Hilton. Even the oath of office blunders of the Chief Justice of the USA when he administered it to President Barack Obama during his inauguration, caught on television, elicited negative comments. Credibility likewise counts a lot. In whole, whoever presents or is presented and how he or she is presented in the small screen really matters. Next to the person, the thoughts, plots, ideas, opinions, criticisms and other relevant factors evoked by the television presentation will leave or will not leave a mark in the minds of the watching public. Corollary to that, a television show that does not catch the attention of the people also does not influence them or their thinking. In this study, two shows will be the subject of assessment, discussion and some debates. These are the BBC News of the BBC conglomerate and The View of ABC. BBC News, of course, is also all news. Upon the other hand, The View is a talk show. However, the latter can also be classified in the news genre because the hostesses actually discuss, analyze, comment on or react to the latest news. And the ladies in the talk show, while not overly formal in their elements, are generally serious in evaluating the covered news items. They talk of politics, women’s rights, environment, divorce and separation, the crusade against cancer, state visits, terrorism and other topics that range from the local to the international. In the case of the BBC news presenters, they are more formal and with age levels at between forty and fifty. They all look good and appear as pleasant personalities. BBC News enjoys good ratings. (Holmwood, Leigh. First-night defeat for News at Ten. January 15, 2008. guardian.co.uk. [internet]. Accessed July 31, 2009. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/15/tvratings.tvnews) BBC has always been news although there are some small variations or diversifications. It has existed for so long already. Only the presenters or readers or anchormen change guards. The same is true with The View of ABC as far as concerning audience population. (Gorman, Bill. The View Returns to Strong Ratings. Posted September 11, 2008. TV by the Numbers. [internet]. Accessed July 31, 2009. Available at: http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/09/11/the-view-returns-to-strong-ratings/5068). The View is relatively new compared to BBC News. The View debuted in 1997. In sum, two shows coming from two different communications companies with slightly different formats are doing well. Is it the technology? It is a fact that, again, technology plays a significant part in the television business. Novice trends in technology offer good opportunities and challenges to the television journalists such as will make the shows and programs highly acceptable to all, including the younger generations who are the creators and followers of new fads. It is important to note though that rival networks cannot be far behind in technology. Is it the values? Values give distinction to identities. Hence, one who can display good values, expressly or by implication, wins the trust of the people he inter-acts with. Does this apply in television? Does it make a difference watching a person with good values and one without? Does the former attract more attention? Technology can be out by the process of elimination. As a matter of course and of perception, both BBC and ABC have the capabilities to introduce new concepts and fashions in television and, in the process, improve or further develop the shows or programs presented. Values can also be out because it is not visible on the screen. Conclusion This study believes that it is the material being presented and the trustworthiness of the one presenting. In short, it is hard work and the proper tools being used in the presentation. The latter includes, on an updated and upgraded basis, the utilization of the gifts of technology to the maximum. Hard work means that the host has to be ready with what he will report to the viewing public. The delivery must be crisp to show preparedness which is part of the process of building credibility. At this juncture it may be asked: Are not values and credibility connected with each other and interlinked? Probably not. A person can have all the good values and yet will appear on television as one lousy and awkward fellow. On the other hand, a host who has distorted senses of values can look good on the screen and can appear as someone who can be trusted. And he can do this by just working hard and by properly preparing and readying well beforehand the materials needed in the show. BBC News anchorpersons emote in poignant terms the status of having full knowledge and information of what they deliver to the audience despite the criticisms that they are actually only readers of those sheets of papers in front of them. Once can also sense how they handle and carry themselves such that they project the appearance of being decent and formal. They may look boring at times and yet people stick to their programs. The only explanation is that the viewers trust them and trust that whatever they say is plainly the truth without giving any opinion or colour of bias. That is what makes them click. It is like the individual watching the reporter feels that he is being well represented in the reporting process, that is, that he will be fed no falsehoods and that he is in good hands with the anchorman. It is as if the individual watching acquires additional knowledge from the newscaster without that prejudice that the show has been packaged only to make it profitable at any cost. It is as if traditional journalistic values are kept intact while true and correct information is being conveyed. It is as if the watcher and the reporter share common views and perceptions. (Journalisms Complicated Partners: Television News Anchors and Community Maintenance Around the Anchors Appearance. all academic research. [internet]. Accessed July 31, 2009. Available at: . Clinton Admits To Wrong Relationship With Lewinsky. all politics. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: . Gorman, Bill. The View Returns to Strong Ratings. Posted September 11, 2008. TV by the Numbers. [internet]. Accessed July 31, 2009. Available at: http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/09/11/the-view-returns-to-strong-ratings/5068). Holmwood, Leigh. First-night defeat for News at Ten. January 15, 2008. guardian.co.uk. [internet]. Accessed July 31, 2009. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/15/tvratings.tvnew. Interactive timeline: The fall of Bernard Madoff. FT.com. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: < http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc1ceb9e-ebd5-11dd-8838- 0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1>. Is the Internet Killing Television? October 22, 2007. AC Associated Content. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: . Journalisms Complicated Partners: Television News Anchors and Community Maintenance Around the Anchors Appearance. all academic research. [internet]. Accessed July 31, 2009. Available at: Lewis, Jone Johnson. Death of Diana, Princess of Wales Grief and Mourning Over the Peoples \ Princess. About.com: Women’s History. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: < http://womenshistory.about.com/od/diana/a/diana_death.htm> Spartacus, BBC. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: . THE KENNEDY-NIXON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES, 1960. The Museum of Broadcast Communications. [internet] Accessed July 30, 2009. Available at: Weiss, Doyle L. Does TV advertising really affect sales? The role of measures, models, and data aggregation. All Business A D&B Company. [internet] Accessed July 30. 2009. Available at: . Read More