Free #5: Television: Game Shows

(Game Show Network Icon)

The reason why I was curious about this topic is the fact that I see my parents every single night change the channel from the news to "Wheel of Fortune" and then "Deal or No Deal" and my dad gets so excited about it that he will pull me away from doing something semi-important in my life just to watch somebody we dont even know on TV win a huge some of money. My question is "Why do viewers get so addicted to game shows on television?". I researched many peoples' blogs on what they think about game shows and also watched this credible interview from Bob Boden (Vice President of Programming Fox Reality Channel) about game shows.


Game Shows: All About Game Shows

As Bob roughly puts it, people find a way to watch television to relax escape from reality of hard work like school or a tedious tiring job. Bonnie Gillipse, a blog writer from spynetwork.org thinks the reason why she is addicted to the "Game Show Network" is because "It's always happy there. No matter what silliness is going on in the world, there is something very sweet going on on GSN, and it's just enough to remind me that life is good." Like the "Brady Bunch" is a escape of reality to the American Dream simple family lifestyle, game shows are an escape for the viewers who want to get away from their own reality, and imagine themselves in someone elses telivised "reality" on tv that has just won a million bucks to make them feel at ease that anything really can be possible. In a way, they see these winners on TV percieving the American Dream in a 30 minute time period of money for almost free.

(American Dream Comic)

Game shows such as "The Price is Right" or "Deal or no Deal" have a minimal amount of thinking to do for the contestant to win big bucks. Most people in America do not want to work the rest of their lives for a decent amount of earnings. So people, like my dad, get sucked into game shows with the curiousity and imagining what it must be like to be in the lucky contestants shoes.

(Wheel of Fortune Logo)

For example, "Wheel of Fortune" has been on the air for 26 seasons and still poplular and some often wonder why. The "Wheel Watchers Club" offers the people at home to win what the contestant just won if their spin id is shown from their own comfort at home. You have to keep watching the show and be updated online with the club to have your Spinner ID even considered to be shown on the screen. "Deal or No Deal" offers the audience on the edge excitement which proves peoples' greedy nature. Bill Owens, a contestant on "The $25,000 Pyramid", states "What I loved wasn't just the lure of instant riches, although that was pretty cool. I loved and admired the knowledge, the trivia, the imagination that game show contestants had to have to win. This is what started my passion for odd and obscure trivia, which endures to this day." Shows such as "Who Wants to be a Millionare?" and "Jeopory" offer this curiousity/ trivia format.

It's also interesting how reality TV shows have formed from game shows. "Survivor" to "Big Brother," "The Bachelor" to "Joe Millionaire," "American Idol" to "Fame" and "Extreme Makeovers" all are examples of reality shows which are more intense and dramatic than a normal game show. A blogger screennamed theMatrix from associatedcontent.com quotes his opinion on reality TV after game shows, "I guess the appeal of these shows isn’t that hard to understand. I mean, they’re kind of like game shows on steroids, giving away millions of dollars and soul mates instead of dishwashers, furniture, and new cars."

People become addicted to the suspense of not knowing what could happen next and the simplicity of a humans knowledge lures almost anybody into networks like the "Game Show Network." Wtih todays technology, people could not only get recaps and any other bit of infomation about a game show on the shows web page, but also play the game to get a feel of what it is really like. The audience can get involved. It would be interesting to be able to talk about game show television in class for a better understanding, but I guess after discovering all this, I still wonder where game shows get money and funds to give away all the time besides sponsors.

Free #4: Media Conglomerate Disney and Dreamworks

What is a Media Conglomerate? I sure as hell did not know even how to pronounce conglomerate until somebody mentioned it to me. It is, according to dictionary.com, a corporation consisting of a number of subsidiary companies or divisions in a variety of unrelated industries, usually as a result of merger or acquisition.

A Media Conglomerate is where companies own other companies related to mass media such as television, radio, publishing, movies, and the Internet. The top 3 largest media conglomerates is News Corporation or NASDAQ, Time Warner, and The Walt Disney Company-where CBS Corporation, Viacom, and Dreamworks are also high end competetors (more are listed on Wikipedia).

I researched into this mess since it relates with our class and came upon an interesting story about how Walt Disney is trying to become and alliance with Dreamworks studios.

What are their morals I asked? Why are they doing this if they are the most successful conglomerate around?

In Vidhi Chaudhri's paper from Purdue, titled Corporate social responsibility and the media: What the Big Five media corporations are communicating about their social responsibilities, she states that Walt Disney's company values' and Code of Ethics are "integrity, honesty, trust, respect, fair play, and teamwork"(17). They are diverse with equal oppertunities for workers just like they don't want to show smoking because they want to show concern with societal welfare.

So when it comes down to teaming up with Dreamworks, how is this "diverse, equal opportunity" going to help people when all they really want is to make connections with famous director Speilberg?

Its not going to give big opportunities as they promoted, it is going to lose more jobs and key into the big time money maker. Because of the economic loss these past few years, Disney is beggining to have a downfall and they are producing fewer movies each year to help their budget. "Disney's long-held position as the world's largest media conglomerate by market value has come into jeopardy: It stood at $36 billion on Friday, while Time Warner (TWX, Fortune 500) was nearly $35 billion" states Richard Siklos from CNN money news. Disney-ABC conglomerate cut 400 jobs in January, Nellie Andreeva from hollywoodreporter.com "the job cuts represent about 5% of Disney-ABC TV Group's payroll."

SO... what I conclude:

The Walt Disney conglomerate is not honestly trying to team up with Dreamworks for good family values, but to get ahold of Speilberg and his famous directing skills of movies such as Roger Rabbit and his new movie TinTin. Disney wants a peice of the success from TinTin and of the sequel to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen made by Dreamworks, since it was such already a huge success. this is to help the budget of Disney and this baffles me leading to my next question:

How is this helping and giving people diverse oppertunies with their code of ethics, when they are firing people left and right to then bring in Dreamworks to make bank?

Free # 3: College's Peer Pressure

(this is peer pressure comic)

Peer pressure at college I find interesting. I can see the good and the bad out of peer pressure in college. The good peer pressure I see at college is getting good grades, club involvement, sports and school spirit, talking with teachers, and sometimes even joining a fraternity. Beyond that I can see the peer pressure in a bad way such as letting grades slip by skipping class, drinking problems, drug use, sexual influence... basically the whole sex, drugs, and rock and roll of what is cool or not. Thats why it's dramatic, but in a more dramatic effect in a growing, mature way.

Peer pressure has an amazing effect of how people can get so worked up about the hype.

Not like high school, the evolution of growing of the student. There are many ways to resist college peer pressure, but it is hard for people to realize it is there when so much is going on in the moment. It is just that feeling when you do not want your friends to percieve you as a dull person to hang out with or be sketchy around. Tiffany Coley, the writer of How to Resist Peer Pressure to Party, states something that caught my eye especially to our mass communication class. The statement was,

"The "entertainment" industry has cranked out thousands of raunchy movies having to do with college frivolity."

(the most stereotypical poster alive for college students to own)

I believe that it is completely true in one aspect to college and without the idea of seeing what the party is about, then college students wouldn't know how to react when they want to have this sort of fun. "Entertainment industry" is like a teacher to college students who want a stereotypical lifestyle.

Free #3 Stock Show

This weekend I went to the National Western Stock Show, 2009 with my good friend Eric, my sister Penny, and her husband Manny. It was really cool to experience the things I enjoy the most in life. The show involved so many rodeo and stock events you could spend hours walking around unable to see it all. Stands and booths were set up based around country comfort. Tim Shirley competed in the final events alongside many well known names in the rodeo industry. There was many animals there and chickens that looked like they had afro's for some reason. Ha Ha. My favorite thing about the stock show is watching people do the things that they love the most and pursuing thier passions. If it is a dream then go far thats why I wrote about this. Deep down I wish I could be there one day too, I would fit in. I barrel race and unfortuanately can not at the time being but hope to pick it up soon again.

(Me at a barrel race when I was younger in Salida.)

Video of some of the rodeo this year for 2009 (not finals) in Denver.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywj5dsHH4JU

Free #2 : Trends

I am finding more and more each day that people begin to have relationship troubles around this time. Everybody I know (at least 9 couples) have broken up within this last month. Including myself and I was pracically in a happy 4 year relationship but my question to this trend is why are we doing it? And why is it the girls doing it and taking this dominant role? For some reason I think it is a phase just like when a big group of girls live together they tend to ovulate together so the clinic at Fort Lewis says (sorry to be detailed).

But as an observant detail, more of my question to it is... "Why the hell is mass communications so precise on this stuff?" For some reason I had a friend show me an article out of Cosmopolitan or other chick magazines describing for specifically this month what happens and it seems like they are phsycic or something.
They get thir information from who? who is thier sources but celebs and such and why do people tend to get attached to this stuff like its thier bible? I have found that I think alot of thier facts come from internet polls and sociologists that are all about the gossip. Such as this quiz....

R U a tomboy or a girly girl » Quizes

How do people get sucked into this stuff? Is it to find thier real selves of what they are about??? It is like taking an interest survery to figure out your major in life. This stuff tells us what to believe. This website shows just how people can take atvantage of the media to seduce others.