A study of modern television : thinking inside the box / Andrew Crisell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Crisell, Andrew.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Television.

Television broadcasting--United States.

Television broadcasting.

United States.

Physical Description:

xi, 184 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Summary:

Television is a major phenomenon in the modern world. But how has It become so important in our society? What influence does it have on its audiences and on public life, and what are its intellectual and cultural strengths and limitations?

This much-awaited new book from Andrew Crisell is an enjoyable and accessible introduction to television, analysing its growth and its influence on modern culture and audiences. Beginning with a history of television and the broadcasting philosophies that have shaped it, the book goes on to discuss the main programme genres, tracing their cultural antecedents in newspapers, novels, the theatre, radio and cinema, and in organised forms of leisure such as sports and parlour games. It also examines the broader impact of television, notably the part it has played in the globalisation of popular culture and its theatricalising effect on the conduct of public life. Embracing history, genre, and social and cultural contexts, A Study of Modern Television provides a detailed account of this ubiquitous and pervasive medium. Brilliantly written and clearly structured, this book offers both an understanding of television and a contribution to the debates that surround it. The book's scope and clarity make it an essential introductory text for all students interested in the historical, cultural and social aspects of broadcasting.

Contents:

Part I The foundations of modern television 15

1 Birth and infancy, 1884-1954 17

2 The age of duopoly, 1955-1982 24

3 Proliferation and deregulation: the 1970s onwards 30

4 Modern television: policies and practices 40

Part II Television genres 47

5 News and current affairs 49

6 Documentary and features 65

7 Forms of infotainment 82

8 Sport 98

9 Drama and film 110

10 Comedy and light entertainment 119

Part III Television culture 133

11 Television: audience uses and effects 135

12 Globalisation and localism 144

13 Television, theatricality and public life 153.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-178) and index.

ISBN:

033396408X

0333964098

OCLC:

63680090

Publisher Number:

9780333964088 (hbk.)

9780333964095 (pbk.)

Online:

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