We don’t want your must-see TV: Transatlantic television and the failed “Coupling” format

NBC's failed attempt to remake the BBC's Coupling generated a significant amount of press coverage in summer 2003. At the core of the debate was a struggle to reconcile an increasingly integrated transatlantic television market with traditional assumptions about culture and its authentic connection to space and place. The interest in the remake not only created a space where certain national differences were played out and performed but also facilitated an equally compelling transatlantic dialogue about creative ownership, appropriation, and a network's responsibility to its audiences. In doing so, the media attention highlighted how television formats are best understood not as innocuous commodities of international trade but as potential sites of articulation, contestation, and community in an increasingly transnational television environment.

Haunted Seasons: Television Ghost Stories for Christmas and Horror for Halloween

Why do the English have ghost stories at Christmas? Why does US television have special Halloween episodes? Is this all down to Dickens, or is it a hangover of an ancient, pagan past? Why does it survive? Haunted Seasons explores these and related questions, examining the history and meaning of seasonal horror. It reaches back through archaeological evidence of ancient beliefs, through Shakespeare, and Victorian ghost stories, and the works of M.R.James, and onwards to radio and television. The broader genre of supernatural television is considered in relation to the irruptions of abnormality into the normal, along with the significance of time and the seasons in these narratives and their telling. Particular focus is placed on the BBC Ghost Story for Christmas strand and the Halloween episodes of The Simpsons to help us interpret the continued use of these seasonal horror stories and their place in society, from fireside to television.

Martha and her sisters : women in films about journalism

HBO's Hemingway and Gellhorn (Philip Kaufman, 2012), broadcast in May on US television and starring Nicole Kidman as the pioneering female foreign correspondent, hasn't been well reviewed by the majority of critics. Variety described the biopic (with Clive Owen as Hemingway) as “swollen and heavy-handed”, while the Huffington Post declared it an “expensive misfire … a gigantic missed opportunity, a jaw-droppingly trying waste of time”. Regardless of whether such criticisms are fair—as this essay went to press I had been unable to see the film, so I cannot judge one way or the other—Hemingway and Gellhorn should be viewed as a significant addition to the filmography of journalism, retrieving from history as it does the achievements of one of the most significant of the early female practitioners. Gellhorn was a pioneer in a patriarchal press universe, a foreign and war correspondent at a time when this branch of the profession was seen very much as man's work. She covered the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, and with just as much viscerality as any man.

Seasons, Family and Nation in American Horror Story

Arguably, the title of American Horror Story sets out an agenda for the program: this is not just a horror story, but it is a particularly American one. This chapter examines the way that the program uses seasonal celebrations as a way of expressing that national identity, with special emphasis on the importance of family to those celebrations. The particular seasonal celebrations focused on are those of Halloween and Christmas, each of which has associations with the supernatural. However, the use of the supernatural at those seasons is one which is particularly associated with the US, presenting Halloween as a time of supernatural incursion and horror, and of disruption to society and the normal order of things, while Christmas is presented more as a time of unity for the family. Where the supernatural emerges in American Christmas television, it is typically as a force to encourage togetherness and reconciliation, rather than as a dark reminder of the past. While these interpretations of these festivals have been broadcast abroad by American cultural products, not least American television, they have different associations and implications elsewhere, as will be shown. So the particular uses of these festivals is part of what marks American Horror Story out as American, as is the way that the program's narratives have been structured to fit in with US television scheduling. This chapter, then, argues that the structures of the narratives combines with their use of the festivals of Halloween and Christmas in order to enhance the sense of this series as a particularly American horror story.

Atención al cliente y medios sociales en la empresa

online donde el contenido es creado por los propios usuarios mediante el uso de las tecnologías de la web 2.0, que facilitan la edición, la publicación y el intercambio de información, de tal manera que los social media están democratizando las comunicaciones. Según datos publicados por eMarketer, casi el 25% del total de la inversión publicitaria mundial para el 2014 estará dirigida a medios digitales. Los medios de comunicación tradicionales están sumidos desde algún tiempo en una profunda crisis. En los comienzos de Internet, los protagonistas de este sector han creído en la red como un medio de publicación de contenidos en una única dirección, esto es la web 1.0, personas conectándose a páginas web. El típico lector de revista y seminario se ha convertido en un nuevo consumidor con necesidades muy distintas. El lector de un medio tradicional se encuentra con contenido cerrado, sin posibilidad de ser filtrado, que busca dirigir su opinión. Con el método tradicional no es posible ni personalizar el contenido ni la experiencia de uso. De ahí el nacimiento de la web 2.0, personas conectándose a personas (redes sociales). En un futuro cercano, van a triunfar las empresas, sectores y marcas que sepan adaptarse a la llegada de los social media, y que además de desarrollar su línea de negocio habitual, se conviertan en plataformas para la conversación y la construcción de contenidos en colaboración. En este proyecto voy a desarrollar el caso particular de una empresa de telecomunicaciones con una estrategia que use los social media como plataforma de atención al cliente, y para interaccionar también con su almacén en DHL. Los servicios añadidos que dicha empresa de telecomunicaciones ofrece a sus seguidores, clientes externos e internos se pueden agrupar en las siguientes funcionalidades:  Hacer un volcado del sistema de gestión de incidencias de una empresa de telecomunicaciones en las redes sociales, a través de mensajes privados. Dichos mensajes privados se enviarán a las páginas de Facebook y Twitter de los clientes.  Seguimiento por parte del cliente de puestas en marcha de los nuevos servicios a través de mensajes privados en Facebook y Twitter. Mediante este servicio el cliente podrá comprobar a través de las redes sociales el estado de su pedido e intercambiar información de utilidad con la empresa.  Desarrollar a través de las redes sociales una herramienta de marketing para interaccionar con los clientes y posibles seguidores. A través de los canales de los social media se proporciona a los seguidores información de valor sobre novedades del mercado de las telecomunicaciones, soporte técnico, dudas, consejos sobre implementaciones técnicas, equipos de telecomunicaciones,.etc.Es decir, crear una plataforma de conversación entre usuarios, que aporte a los seguidores conocimientos y soluciones útiles para la problemática de sus negocios.  Usar Facebook como base de datos y medio de comunicación entre nuestra empresa de telecomunicaciones y el almacén externalizado en DHL. Supongo que la primera pregunta que debo responder sería, ¿por qué un cliente de una empresa de telecomunicaciones estaría interesado en seguir a su proveedor a través de redes sociales? Facebook tiene en 2014 1,28 billones de usuarios activos. Twitter, la cuarta plataforma social por número de usuarios tras Facebook, alcanzó los 255 millones de usuarios en los primeros meses de 2014. La segunda red social en número de seguidores es Youtube, con un billón de usuarios. El 61,5% de los usuarios de Facebook visita la red todos los días. Los twitteros envían 110 millones tweets por día, tienen fama de muy activos, especialmente por la mañana. En 60 días, se sube más contenido de vídeo a YouTube que el producido por las tres principales cadenas de televisión estadounidense durante 60 años. Como conclusión, las redes sociales están ganando cada día más terreno, es un entorno de comunicación bidireccional en auge cada vez más extendido, por lo cual los usuarios no tienen que dedicar tiempo extra a conocer la herramienta de atención al cliente de su empresa, al usar ésta un canal fácil, conocido, rápido, versátil y gratuito como son las redes sociales. ABSTRACT. Social media are platforms of online communication where content is created by users themselves using technologies of web 2.0, which facilitate the editing, publication and the exchange of information, so that the social media are democratizing communications. According to data published by eMarketer, nearly 25% of the total global ad spend for 2014 will target digital media. The traditional media are trapped for some time in deep crisis. In the early days of the internet, the players of the sector have believed in the network as a means of publishing content in a single direction, this is the web 1.0, connecting people to websites. The typical magazine reader has become a new consumer with very different needs. Traditional medium readers encounter a closed content, unable to be filtered, which seeks handle their opinion. The traditional method doesn’t allow to customize the content and user experience. Hence the birth of Web 2.0, connecting people to people. In the near future, will succeed companies, sectors and brands who can adapt to the advent of social media, and further to develop their line of business as usual, become platforms for conversation and building collaborative content. In this project I will develop the particular case of a telecommunications company with a strategy to use social media as a platform for Customer Service, and also to interact with DHL warehouse. The additional services that the company offers telecommunications followers, external and internal customers can be grouped into the following functionality:  Make a dump of the incident management system of a telecommunications company in social networks through private messages. These private messages are sent Facebook and Twitter clients.  Monitoring by the client launched new services through private messages on Facebook and Twitter. Through this service, customers can check through the social networks of your order status and share useful information with the company.  Develop through social media as a marketing tool to interact with customers and potential followers.Our telco will provide to followers through social media channels valuable information on market developments in telecommunications, technical support, questions, advice on technical implementations, telecommunications equipment,etc. Then we create a platform for discussion between users, to provide followers useful knowledge and solutions to their business problems.  Use Facebook as a database and means of communication between our telco and outsourced telecommunications in DHL warehouse. I guess the first question that must be answered is why a customer of a telecommunications company would be interested in following your provider via social networks. Facebook has 1.28 billion active users in 2014. Twitter, the fourth social platform for many users after Facebook reached 255 million users in the first months of 2014. The second social network on number of followers is YouTube, with a billion users. 61.5% of Facebook users visit the network every day. The twitter users send 110 million tweets per day, have a reputation for very active, especially in the morning. In 60 days, it is produced more video content to YouTube by the three major US television for 60 years. In conclusion, social networks are gaining more ground every day. It is an environment of two-way communication on the rise, so users do not have to spend extra time to learn the tool of Customer Care telco, by using this easy, known, fast, versatile and free channels as are social networks.

Product placement in US and New Zealand television soap operas : an exploratory study

Although the soap opera as a television genre has consistently captured the imagination of millions of people around the world, surprisingly little has been written about it in the marketing literature. Understanding the consumption imagery in soaps may allow marketers to assess the relevance of product placement for their promotion strategy better, as well as providing valuable insight into the consumption habits of their considerable viewing audiences. Data were collected through content analysis from two soap operas, one in the USA and one in New Zealand. The results indicated a high level of consumption imagery, including brand references. Furthermore significant differences in the types of product and the emotional outcome of product use were found between the countries.

Australian Television and International Mediascapes

This book addresses current debates about globalization and culture by tracing the emergence of Australia as a significant exporter of television to the world market. The authors investigate why Australian programs have found international popularity. The book describes the Australian industry and the international television marketplace. It also examines the impact of Australian programs on the television cultures of the importing countries. The authors outline policy implications and speculate on future directions of Australian television.

Australian student reactions to US tourism advertising : a test of advertising as public diplomacy

A study among Australian college students gauged their reactions to a television commercial produced for the US Commerce Department to bolster sagging tourism numbers among international visitors. In additional to using traditional measures applied to tourism advertisements, the study also included items to measure attitudes toward the US government and its people. Pre- and post-viewing results indicated that although the Hollywood-movie-themes commercial was not well received by the Australian students as a tourism message, it did result in more favourable attitudes toward the US government, although not the US people. The findings lend partial support for the potential of tourism advertising efforts to exert a 'bleed-over effect' in terms of their contribution to overall attitudes toward a country, regardless of whether viewers plan to visit the country whose travel advertisements of which they see.

Romance and Reconciliation : The secret life of indigenous sexuality on Australian television drama

This article examines the representation of Indigenous sexuality on Australian television drama since the 1970s, suggesting the political importance of such representations. In 1976 Justine Saunders became the first regular Indigenous character on an Australian television drama series, as the hairdresser Rhonda Jackson in Number 96. She was presented as sexually attractive, but this was expressed through a rape scene after a party. Twenty five years later, Deborah Mailman starred in The Secret Life of Us, as Kelly, who is also presented as sexually attractive. But her character can be seen in many romantic relationships. The article explores changing representations that moved us from Number 96 to The Secret Life of Us, via The Flying Doctors and Heartland. It suggests that in representations of intimate and loving relationships on screen it has only recently become possible to see hopeful models for interaction between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

“They’re My Two Favourites” versus “The Bigger Scheme of Things” : pro-Am historians remember Australian television

This chapter reports on eleven interviews with Pro-Am archivists of Australian television which aimed to find out how they decide what materials are important enough to archive. Interviewees mostly choose to collect materials in which they have a personal interest. But they are also aware of the relationship between their own favourites and wider accounts of Australian television history, and negotiate between these two positions. Most interviewees acknowledged Australian television’s links with British and American programming, but also felt that Australian television is distinctive. They argued that Australian television history is ignored in a way that isn’t true for the UK or the US. Several also argued that Australian television has had a ‘naïve’ nature that has allowed it to be more experimental.

Pro-Am curators of Australian television history : how is their practice different from that of professional television historians?

Eleven Pro-Am curators of Australian television history were interviewed about their practice. The data helps us to understand the relationship between professional and Pro-Am approaches to Australian television history. There is no simple binary – the lines are blurred – but there are some differences. Pro-Am curators of Australian television history are not paid for their work and present other motivations for practice – particularly being that ‘weird child’ who was obsessed with gathering information and objects related to television. They have freedom to curate only programs and genres that interest them, and they tend to collect merchandise as much as program texts themselves. And they have less interest in formally cataloguing their material than do professional curators of Australian television history.

Beyond the modular film school : Australian film and television schools and their digital transitions

In this chapter we will describe the contemporary variety of practice-oriented training institutions in Australia. We will examine the different ways in which public and private providers are managing the challenges of digitization and convergence. We will consider the logics governing film education this mix of providers pulls into focus, and we will outline some of the challenges providers face in educating, (re)training, and preparing their graduates for life and work beyond the film school. These challenges highlight questions about the accountabilities and responsibilities of practice-oriented film education institutions. This chapter begins with an introductory section that outlines these logics and questions. It explores some of the tensions and dynamics within the spectrum of issues through which we can understand film schools. The chapter then goes on briefly to describe the multifaceted training landscape in Australia, before profiling the leading public provider, the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), as well as the other leading public providers the Victorian College of the Arts, and the Griffith Film School. It concludes with a short section on film education in primary and secondary schools as the education sector prepares for the implementation of a national curriculum in which ‘media arts’ has a new centrality.

Associations between physical activity and other health behaviors in a representative sample of US adolescents

OBJECTIVES This study examined the associations between physical activity and other health behaviors in a representative sample of US adolescents. METHODS In the 1990 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 11631 high school students provided information on physical activity; diet; substance use; and other negative health behaviors. Logistic regression analyses examined associations between physical activity and other health behaviors in a subset of 2652 high-active and 1641 low-active students. RESULTS Low activity was associated with cigarette smoking, marijuana use, lower fruit and vegetable consumption, greater television watching, failure to wear a seat belt, and low perception of academic performance. For consumption of fruit, television watching, and alcohol consumption, significant interactions were found with race/ethnicity or sex, suggesting that sociocultural factors may affect the relationships between physical activity and some health behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Low physical activity was associated with several other negative health behaviors in teenagers. Future studies should examine whether interventions for increasing physical activity in youth can be effective in reducing negative health behaviors.

Why a movie tax will make even more of us pirates

In a nation of rampant illegal downloaders, a tax on movies and television downloads is the last thing we need. Australian consumers and content producers are among those likely to be worse off should Joe Hockey succeed in his efforts to extend GST to online video-on-demand services like Netflix. It is easy to see why Mr Hockey and his state treasurer counterparts have reportedly agreed to this move. That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.