MickeyMass Market
Once upon a time there were the Big Three TV networks. Aimed at the mass market they showed a wide variety of programming: sitcoms, sports, sitcoms, westerns, sitcoms, soaps, sitcoms... Sometimes in the run up to the Fall season they would be touting a particular genre they felt was their strong point ("We've got Aaron Spelling shows- how dare you watch anything else?"), but the networks could always be counted on to deliver their usual range of fare.
Of course, the "range" tended to be somewhat small, especially compared to today's standards. In their quest for the Almighty Ratings they were always very careful to avoid anything that might possibly offend anyone- especially the sponsors. Recall a few years back when the FCC's collective head exploded over Janet Jackson flashing what everyone had already seen? Back when color TV came along it was a much bigger deal for a lady to bare her bellybutton.
Then came cable, and a proliferation of various channels to choose from started the trend towards niche programming. Only three decades ago having a cable alternative to the Big Three was rare, so cable stations were reaching out to smaller, more targeted audiences- as opposed to no audience at all. ESPN wasn't focused enough, so we got channels for particular sports like golf and tennis. Does CNN cover too many different sides of the story? You can be sure to only get the conservative spin on FOX News, or only the Liberal spin on, ummm... well, at least it's still available on the Net.
This network branding seemed to work out well, even to the point of inspiring the new broadcast netlets to focus their programming: The WB made shows for the hip young twentysomethings, while UPN went for the audience that wanted to see programs where every character was a moron. By then the Big Three-and-a-half had discovered that taking risks could sometimes lead to big ratings.
Back on cable, the supply side of branding was starting to show. PBS had dibs on most of the best educational programming, so The Learning Channel was reduced to showing people MacGyvering together boats and cars and programming schedules from junkyard debris. The Discovery Channel ran out of things to discover for us, and now lets viewers "discover" that houses can, indeed, be renovated.
On TV it's always rerun season; old TV shows and made-for TV movies became a popular filler for cable channels who wanted to wait past midnight to start running infomercials. Rerun immortality wasn't reserved for the popular shows anymore. Cable stations could use shows that had only run a half-dozen episodes: They could be used as an entire night's schedule as a marathon. Still, the struggle to fill their broadcast day has many channels stretching (or even ignoring) the boundaries of their supposed niches.
Many channels are now actively rebelling against their own branding. SciFi has "reality" shows, and Lifetime seems aimed at misogynists. I'm waiting for The Weather Channel to run a show about the weather witch Storm when she was a teenager, before she hooked up with the X-Men.
Of course, the "range" tended to be somewhat small, especially compared to today's standards. In their quest for the Almighty Ratings they were always very careful to avoid anything that might possibly offend anyone- especially the sponsors. Recall a few years back when the FCC's collective head exploded over Janet Jackson flashing what everyone had already seen? Back when color TV came along it was a much bigger deal for a lady to bare her bellybutton.
Then came cable, and a proliferation of various channels to choose from started the trend towards niche programming. Only three decades ago having a cable alternative to the Big Three was rare, so cable stations were reaching out to smaller, more targeted audiences- as opposed to no audience at all. ESPN wasn't focused enough, so we got channels for particular sports like golf and tennis. Does CNN cover too many different sides of the story? You can be sure to only get the conservative spin on FOX News, or only the Liberal spin on, ummm... well, at least it's still available on the Net.
This network branding seemed to work out well, even to the point of inspiring the new broadcast netlets to focus their programming: The WB made shows for the hip young twentysomethings, while UPN went for the audience that wanted to see programs where every character was a moron. By then the Big Three-and-a-half had discovered that taking risks could sometimes lead to big ratings.
Back on cable, the supply side of branding was starting to show. PBS had dibs on most of the best educational programming, so The Learning Channel was reduced to showing people MacGyvering together boats and cars and programming schedules from junkyard debris. The Discovery Channel ran out of things to discover for us, and now lets viewers "discover" that houses can, indeed, be renovated.
On TV it's always rerun season; old TV shows and made-for TV movies became a popular filler for cable channels who wanted to wait past midnight to start running infomercials. Rerun immortality wasn't reserved for the popular shows anymore. Cable stations could use shows that had only run a half-dozen episodes: They could be used as an entire night's schedule as a marathon. Still, the struggle to fill their broadcast day has many channels stretching (or even ignoring) the boundaries of their supposed niches.
Many channels are now actively rebelling against their own branding. SciFi has "reality" shows, and Lifetime seems aimed at misogynists. I'm waiting for The Weather Channel to run a show about the weather witch Storm when she was a teenager, before she hooked up with the X-Men.
