Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Future of the Future

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  • 3410,

    Wasn't it on at some bizarre time?

    12:30am-1:45am, Tuesdays, TV2.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Do you know how many film versions of A Star is Born there are?

    And it ain't over yet.


    -----


    Philip,
    Beat Rythm Fashion's Turn of the Century just fired up some synapses that have lain dormant for 30 years. :)

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    Doesn't anyone else in here feel as if they are being spoken to as if they are soft in the head whilst watching TV?

    Nope. But possibly a little hard-of-hearing if Harvey Norman et al TVCs are anything to go by.

    I have never subscribed the 'crap theory' ie dismissing an entire medium because some of its content ain 't so good. Do we ever say, "some books are just a waste of paper so I never read" or " there is some horrible music around, so I never listen to anything??" So, why do some people apply this to television?

    I should really be having this conversation on my blogsite ;-)

    Engage with the content I say, and leave the generalisations to rot. Neighbours at War for example--I couldn't see the point of last night's episode about warring neighbours in Waikari.

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    there's only one thing I wanna know: does this fancy dan future telly come with a jet pack?

    No. But there is a lady with a moustache.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • philipmatthews,

    Philip,
    Beat Rythm Fashion's Turn of the Century just fired up some synapses that have lain dormant for 30 years. :)

    Thanks. It's such a great track. Haunting, even. Kind of like the best Faith-era Cure song the Faith-era Cure never wrote. But as Nick Bollinger says in that Listener review, weirder and more interesting than that too.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2007 • 656 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    Brickley does have a point. 'The Wire' may have been free to air here, but it wasn't made here.

    As Emma has pointed out:

    We get a bunch of HBO stuff free to air here - The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men

    HBO is a subscription channel. Isn't the accepted wisdom that this gives them a lot more freedom than the networks? The boardroom suits aren't as likely to ruthlessly cull shows mid-season that are seen as underperforming?

    As well as the stuff above, the subscription model has also delivered the following:

    Dr Who (made with licence payers money, so subsciption by the dark forces of the commie-nazi state...)

    BSG was a product of the SCI-Fi channel (also subscription, I think?)

    So that's five sucessful series mentioned so far delivered under the subscription model.

    And on the free-to-air side of the ledger:

    Dollhouse (Fox, and has been cancelled)

    The Sarah Conner Chronicles (also Fox, and also cancelled)

    Fastlane (also Fox...)

    Family Guy (also Fox, and only resurrected because of fan outcry and strong DVD sales).

    Those are only the ones I can think of off the top of my head, and I unfortunately don't have time to do more research...

    I think there's merit in the argument that 'good' telly is only really going to be delivered by payment of some sort outside the ad revenue stream.

    Do you know how many film versions of A Star is Born there are?

    Come watch me now?

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I think there's merit in the argument that 'good' telly is only really going to be delivered by payment of some sort outside the ad revenue stream.

    For sure. Not a cert, but not unreasonable speculation either.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    I think there's merit in the argument that 'good' telly is only really going to be delivered by payment of some sort outside the ad revenue stream.

    Limited merit. The West Wing, 30 Rock and The Office are all produced by NBC, yes? The Simpsons are also free to air. So was Seinfeld.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    Kind of like the best Faith-era Cure song the Faith-era Cure never wrote.

    I'm trying to see how many threads I can logically merge with the Cat thread in one day.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    I did suspect I was sticking my neck out and practically begging for a counter-factual.

    I don't have the time to reasearch the ratio of failed/cancelled free-to-air vs those that could be considered a success, but I do suspect it would run rather higher on the cancelled side of the line. But while everyone remebers the successes, no-one remebers the cancelled shows.

    There is a 'family guy' clip where Peter Griffin monologues a loooong list of cancelled recent TV shows as the punchline to a joke, but I can't find it easily.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • samuel walker,

    Neighbours at War for example--I couldn't see the point of last night's episode about warring neighbours in Waikari

    Your actual point not withstanding [although I have no idea how it managed to elbow its way into my Community binge]. What made it riveting Telly was the constant flow of puns, one-liners, and meta set-ups by the narrator. It were well pithy.

    Armchair psychology and trial by public through the eyes of agenda heavy camerawork can't be wise, but then again desperate and angry people make for good teevee.

    Also: Constable Keith has to be the worst mediator ever.

    Since Nov 2006 • 203 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    HBO is a subscription channel. Isn't the accepted wisdom that this gives them a lot more freedom than the networks? The boardroom suits aren't as likely to ruthlessly cull shows mid-season that are seen as underperforming?

    Up to a point, but let's remember HBO and the BBC pulled the plug on Rome because even after serious budget cuts for the second season (and pretty solid ratings, reviews and ancillary sales) it just wasn't financially viable for either party to carry on.

    And I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the FCC's remit expands so life-deficient panty-sniffers can complain about boobies,simulated intercourse and naughty words on basic cable to their shrivelled hearts content.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    I do hope Coronation Street is still there in the future - even after Ken Barlow and Emily Bishop are finally pensioned off.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    I think you'll find that HBO is not TV. It's HBO =)

    Also, Mad Men was on AMC (basic cable).

    But I'll add that there's social commentary in a lot of broadcast, network, TV. From just a quick look at Wikipedia's list of episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, we can start with episodes 4, 5 & 6.

    A lot of episodes of The Simpsons, of course, from the earlier "Much Apu about Nothing" (illegal immigration), to the more recent "How the test was won" (about school testing), and "Coming to Homerica" (immigration again).

    I've always felt the final episode of Malcolm in the Middle had about as powerful a working class message as the second season of The Wire did (albeit told with humour and in the short form).

    7th Heaven did an episode on the plight of women in Afghanistan before September 11, and other episodes on racism, homelessness and poverty. Racism in America was an underlying theme of much of 1960s-set American Dreams.

    And I'm sure it's in material from other countries as well. "Thatcher sucks" is pretty much a genre of its own in Britain. I haven't seen it, but I'm guessing The Circuit takes a pretty hard look at the circumstances of Aboriginal communities.

    Social commentary on network television may be different now, but it's still there, and the good bits are still powerful.

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Martin Lindberg,

    I do hope Coronation Street is still there in the future

    Heh, I once recommended against hiring this guy based on the fact that he mentioned that he was a fan of Coronation Street.

    Stockholm • Since Jul 2009 • 802 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Social commentary on network television may be different now, but it's still there, and the good bits are still powerful.

    I bow to your geek knowledge.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    The thing about Coronation Street is that it goes back almost to the very beginning of TV in New Zealand and we need some TV security in our ever-changing lives.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Katita,

    Heh, I once recommended against hiring this guy based on the fact that he mentioned that he was a fan of Coronation Street.

    Such blatant prejudice - I'm guessing he was ginga as well?

    But back to the tv question ... after returning recently from a couple of years in Melbourne all I can say is more of the same. Same shows, shown in the same order back to back on identikit channels. Thankfully Campbell Live and Close Up haven't quite degenerated to the depths of Today Tonight - but it can't be long.
    For the future - I'd like a feature that tells me what other people who've watched this programme are also watching (regardless of channel/source). And (idealistically) I'd like a people's choice where you can vote on upcoming programming a season ahead (maybe in return for paying a fee?).

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 67 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    One thing that I might have thought of when I was hammering out that post this morning is whether the assumption that the TV we watch will continue to be English-language programming for, by and about people in Western countries.

    India and Nigeria make massive quantities of moving pictures, a majority of Americans soon won't speak English as a first language, and our own non-Anglo populations might rightly feel the next for some expression in the next few years.

    I'll ask Jim Blackman about that on the show.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    I'd like to know whether the increasing popularity of shows that deconstruct the news and the tropes of "authoritative" television, like the Daily Show, have any impact on the way news shows are now being produced, or they way they are received by audiences.

    Personally I'm at point where if I see or hear something reported as news, my default assumption is that it probably didn't happen that way.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    The gummint will have to reintroduce the broadcasting fee (where do I sign?).

    I'm with James. I think that a licensing fee will be coming back in some form or other for FTA TV, and I too am completely willing to pay it.

    Speak to ACT.

    You may be able to get support for a poll tax to pay for other things too.

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Ugh. TV licensing fees are a flat household charge (regressive to income). Better to keep money coming from general taxation which is at least partially progressive.

    A licensing fee now would probably be at least $200 to raise anything meaningful, which is a lot for a low income family, and a fair chunk of the money would be eaten up collecting it.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    I still remember the guy who came to our house snooping around for the TV. What a waste of his time - and ours.

    In Italy there's still the tax (which made sense at the time of his inception, incidentally, when not everyone had a television) and there are incredibly byzantine rules about its enforcement. Including that if you want to suspend payment without destroying or otherwise getting rid of your TV set, they come and put seals on it.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    One would expect these days that if NZ was to reinstitute a licensing fee lots more people would do away with the TV and move towards a big non-TV screen to display stuff downloaded over the internet, DVDs etc.

    Cue arguments "that's not a TV! Oh yes it is..."

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

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