Television Genres

Ian Jones traces the first twenty years of a genre that has revolutionised the landscape of contemporary TV. From the early days of TV-am and Breakfast Time, through the turbulent arrival of The Big Breakfast and GMTV, to the messy death of Rise, the book documents the twists and turns of a story unique in broadcasting for its high-profile triumphs and disasters, raging egos and scandalous bust-ups. ...

Everywhere you turn today, someone (or something) is talking to you--the television, the radio, cell phones, your computer. If you think some of the novels and stories you read are talking to you too, you're not alone, and you're not mistaken. In this innovative, multidisciplinary work, Irene Kacandes reads contemporary fiction as a form of conversation and as part of the larger conversation that is modern culture. ...

Television talk shows have fueled debates about television's faltering role as a medium for social interaction, but this book points out that many viewers don't just absorb the shows; they react to them and even talk back to their televisions. By observing and analyzing the daily viewing habits of a dozen women viewers, Helen Wood interprets these experiences as daily rituals of self-reflexivity, focusing on the performance of gender as a doubling of place in contemporary conditions of modernity. ...

Television talk shows are a recent phenomenon, but their roots go back to the itinerant circuses and religious revivals of the nineteenth century. Circuses made their money by displaying "freaks," just as talk shows emphasize only the deviant aspects of their guests' lives. And like the revivalists of old, talk show hosts such as Oprah Winfrey and Montel Williams attempt to convert their guests through healing powers. ...

In an age when Jon Stewart frequently tops lists of most-trusted newscasters, the films of Michael Moore become a dominant topic of political campaign analysis, and activists adopt ironic, fake personas to attract attention--the satiric register has attained renewed and urgent prominence in political discourse. Amber Day focuses on the parodist news show, the satiric documentary, and ironic activism to examine the techniques of performance across media, highlighting their shared objective of bypassing standard media outlets and the highly choreographed nature of current political debate.

A behind-the-curtain look at the life and times of Canadian celebrity interviewer Brian Linehan by one of his oldest friends and intimates. Brian Linehan was one of seven children growing up in the shadow of the Dofasco steel plant where his father and brothers worked. At seven years old he fell in love with the movies and was more convinced than ever that he was not destined to carry a lunch pail. The kid from Hamilton with the broken nose would live and dream bigger than the movies of his youth. By the time he is thirty, Linehan transforms himself into a television host wooed by every major studio in Hollywood. ...

During the latter half of the 1980s and throughout the 1990s, television talk shows, infotainment news, and screaming supermarket headlines became ubiquitous in America as the "tabloidization" of the nation's media took hold. In Tabloid Culture Kevin Glynn draws on diverse theoretical sources and an unprecedented range of electronic and print media in order to analyze important aspects and key debates that have emerged around this phenomenon.

In the early 1950s, when television networks did not broadcast regular programming before 11 a.m., radio and newspapers were the most popular and reliable ways for Americans to get their morning news. Then, Sylvester (Pat) Weaver, vice president of programming at NBC, pitched a bold new concept to the network: a two-hour early morning news show that would run Monday through Friday starting at 7 a.m. By developing Today, Weaver filled a programming void before viewers even realized there was one--and revolutionized the viewing habits of millions. In The Today Show: Transforming Morning Television, Cathleen M. Londino provides an entertaining and informative look at the first twenty-five years of NBC's innovative program, from 1952 through 1977. ...

Use this index to find articles about this TV genre.

The online version of 3 separate ISI indexes: Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index and, Social Sciences Citation Index.

Long regarded as TV's most intelligent talk show, The Dick Cavett Show was also the late-night TV home of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll. See Dick Cavett interview these rock icons, who give classic, memorable performances of their hit songs. Cavett introduces each episode.

We have 5 episodes of the talk show including interviews with Norman Mailer, Tom Wicker, David Susskind, Gabriel Ben-Dor and Noam Chomsky.

Jack Paar took the traditional interview out of the mundane, engaging actors, athletes, musicians, and politicians on a whole new level. This set contains some of the best of Paar, including interviews with former guests and commentary by various people.

Working as a staff writer, Johnny Carson filled in as host when Red Skelton was injured during a show rehearsal. As a result of Carson's performance, CBS created the prime-time sketch show The Johnny Carson Show, a traditional potpourri of comedy, music, dance, skits and monologues.

We have a collection of 10 DVD's including interviews with David Simon, Jeremiah Wright, Mike Davis and Maya Lin. The interviews come from Bill Moyers Journal and other programs.

Screening Room was a 1970s Boston television series that for almost ten years offered independent filmmakers a chance to show and discuss their work on a commercial (ABC-TV) affiliate station. The series was developed and hosted by filmmaker Robert Gardner (Dead Birds, Forest of Bliss), who was Chairman of the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies and Director of the Carpenter Center for Visual Arts at Harvard for many years.