Viewers Like You

How Public TV Failed the People

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Television, Performing Arts, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Viewers Like You by Laurie Oullette, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Laurie Oullette ISBN: 9780231529310
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: July 24, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Laurie Oullette
ISBN: 9780231529310
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: July 24, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

How "public" is public television if only a small percentage of the American people tune in on a regular basis? When public television addresses "viewers like you," just who are you? Despite the current of frustration with commercial television that runs through American life, most TV viewers bypass the redemptive "oasis of the wasteland" represented by PBS and turn to the sitcoms, soap operas, music videos, game shows, weekly dramas, and popular news programs produced by the culture industries. Viewers Like You? traces the history of public broadcasting in the United States, questions its priorities, and argues that public TV's tendency to reject popular culture has undermined its capacity to serve the people it claims to represent. Drawing from archival research and cultural theory, the book shows that public television's perception of what the public needs is constrained by unquestioned cultural assumptions rooted in the politics of class, gender, and race.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

How "public" is public television if only a small percentage of the American people tune in on a regular basis? When public television addresses "viewers like you," just who are you? Despite the current of frustration with commercial television that runs through American life, most TV viewers bypass the redemptive "oasis of the wasteland" represented by PBS and turn to the sitcoms, soap operas, music videos, game shows, weekly dramas, and popular news programs produced by the culture industries. Viewers Like You? traces the history of public broadcasting in the United States, questions its priorities, and argues that public TV's tendency to reject popular culture has undermined its capacity to serve the people it claims to represent. Drawing from archival research and cultural theory, the book shows that public television's perception of what the public needs is constrained by unquestioned cultural assumptions rooted in the politics of class, gender, and race.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Substance Use Disorders in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Clients by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Nuclear North Korea by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Disaster Movies by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Desiring Revolution by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Preventive Engagement by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book The Great Flowing River by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Religion, the Secular, and the Politics of Sexual Difference by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Twenty-first Century Motherhood by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Breaking with the Past by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Virus Alert by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Global Corporate Governance by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Teenage Suicide Notes by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book New Tunisian Cinema by Laurie Oullette
Cover of the book Maya Deren by Laurie Oullette
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy