BBC and television genres in jeopardy / Jeremy Tunstall.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tunstall, Jeremy, author.

Contributor:

John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

British Broadcasting Corporation.

Television--Great Britain.

Television.

Television program genres--Great Britain.

Television program genres.

Television broadcasting policy--Great Britain.

Television broadcasting policy.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

viii, 400 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Peter Lang, [2015].

Summary:

This book considers British television from the point of view of executive producers: the people who employ the workforce and are in charge of making all television series. The focus of the book is twenty-one separate genres, at least seven of which are in significant decline - namely current affairs, education, natural history, science, arts, children's and religion. Some other public service genres - such as documentary, history and travel - are in good health. The most commercially successful genres include formatted factual entertainment series, such as cooking, homes, quiz/game, reality and sport. The author completed 150 interviews not only with executive producers but with BBC and ITV channel controllers and top genre commissioners. Playing a supporting role are another 200 interviews, which were the basis of the author's 1993 book, Television Producers. Since 1990, and especially since 2008, British television production has faced financial challenges. Meanwhile, BSkyB, Virgin Media and Channel Five are American controlled, and most of the larger London 'independent' production companies are now American or Euro-American owned and operated. Public service broadcasting in general, and BBC television in particular, are threatened with probable further decline. This book offers new insights into the state of British television through the eyes of those working on the inside. Book jacket.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 The BBC and Public Service Genres in Jeopardy

ch. 2 UK Commercial Television Trembles

ch. 3 Executive Producers, Independent Production and Celebrity

ch. 4 Drama and Soap: Most Popular Genres

ch. 5 BBC News Dominance

ch. 6 First Casualty: Current Affairs

ch. 7 Traditional Public Service BBC Genres in Decline: Education, Natural History, Science, Arts, Children's and Religion

ch. 8 Flourishing Public Service Genres: Documentary, History, Travel

ch. 9 Comedy, Big Entertainment and Talk

ch. 10 Factual Entertainment Formats Prosper: Cooking, Homes, Quiz/Game, Reality

ch. 11 TV Sports: Live, Formatted, Monetised

ch. 12 TV Policy in Fragments, Genres in Jeopardy.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 377-387) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

ISBN:

3034318464

9783034318464

OCLC:

900594866

Publisher Number:

99964768043