Electronic Magazines: Soft News Programs on Network Television

(Hardback)

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Description

The traditional documentary programming of network television's bygone era has given way to the recent explosion of ratings-driven, personality-based news magazine programming. While ostensibly conforming to a high standard of public service, these magazines, as even some of their producers admit, must succumb to the forces of public appetite and profit maximization in order to be competitive. This study examines this phenomenon of the electronic magazine and shows how the soft news programs affect the public's view of American politics and culture. Maintaining the distinction between the syndicated, tabloid-style programming (whose survival depends almost entirely on rating success) and the more responsibly conceived network magazine programming, Spragens provides a thorough content analysis of 60 Minutes, Dateline NBC, 20/20, and similar network series. His study traces the development of the television magazine genre from the original 60 Minutes through the current crop of news programs; it tracks the soft/hard or sensational/serious content dichotomy and its relation to ratings; and it draws conclusions about the trends in soft news programming and their impact on the American public.

Reviews

The emphemeral nature of television news has always been a major obstacle in its analysis. Spragen's work is, therefore, a promising addition to the body of literature purporting to examine and scrutinize the phenomenon of such electronic news magazines as 20/20, Dateline NBC, and Prime Time Live.-Choice
"The emphemeral nature of television news has always been a major obstacle in its analysis. Spragen's work is, therefore, a promising addition to the body of literature purporting to examine and scrutinize the phenomenon of such electronic news magazines as 20/20, Dateline NBC, and Prime Time Live."-Choice

Author Bio

WILLIAM C. SPRAGENS is Professor Emeritus at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He is also the owner of Spragens Research/Analysis, a consulting firm in Herndon, Virginia.