In the Television
Media format there are a diverse range of genres and facets that either
intertwine or that work independently. A singular category that appears to be
entirely unnoticed is that of Science Fiction, or Sci-Fi as referenced in
popular culture. This genre is focused on futuristic of fanciful storylines
which rely heavily on a vast fan-base of supporters to maintain shows, such as
‘Stargate’ & ‘Star Trek’, which regular appear in culture and are a major
force in there political economy. The classification of Science Fiction can be
a vastly interpretive one with many shows having substantial critiques and
modern commentaries. The newly re-mastered and re-vamped ‘Battlestar Galactica’
television series has used current world events, such as Terrorism and the
resulting ‘War on Terror’ as material for evolving plot lines and underlying
messages. The key to understanding the effects and context of television,
especially that of Science Fiction, is recognising the influence of Political
Economy. The comprehensive appreciation of the primary elements of media must
be placed within the context of certain popular shows, for instance the
long-running popular Science Fiction serial of ‘Stargate’ and ‘Doctor Who’.
The fundamental
aspects of Political Economy are concerned with the method of outside forces on
economics, ownership of certain media, and political influences on the media’s
production. The media is dominated by the ideologies of “whoever owns and
controls” that format, and they possess and exert control over the outlet for
either political manipulation or profit. The effect and control of media can be
determined and limited by government legislation. However, this has still led
to a rise in cultural imperialism, the imperial domination of world media
maintained to a certain degree through the dissemination of culture,
ideologies, traditions and beliefs. Especially, the rise of an Information Age
that has resulted in the globalisation of communication which has caused the
encroachment of, particularly, Western Cultures on consumers. The 2004 Free
Trade Agreement between America and Australia resulted in increased discussion
over the intrusion of American culture and television on Australian products,
due to them having decreasing support and exhibition compared to Hollywood. The
percentage of Australian Films produced compared to those of American cinema,
and the domination of film production a distribution, led to an agreement
citing that a certain proportion of film and television will remain Australian.
This is an example of limiting Political Economy, and this form of control has
been utilised by various other countries. The evolution of Cable and Satellite
Television has become the foundation for more expensive and realistic programs
appearing on television, although to access this the patron is required to pay
a monthly fee. The use of Political Economy to gain profit from the
distribution and restricted presentation of shows, allows for a domination of
certain markets (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler 2006:21-23). The Fox Network,
owned and operated by Rupert Murdoch, used its domination of ratings and
massive news coverage to manipulate the 2001 Presidential Election when the
Network declared, in an unpopular result, that George W. Bush had been elected
president, despite the fact that all other networks had previously declared
Florida and the Presidency to Al Gore. The controversial election and apparent
discriminatory actions involved in the election led to innumerable recounts,
although Bush retained the presidency (Michael Moore 2004: Scene 1). The use
and limitations of Political Economy are decisively associated with the
involvement of Textual Analysis in determining the position of a media text.
The long running
and award winning Sci-Fi Channel show, ‘Stargate’, contains many core components
that are essential characteristics to Political Economy. The original show,
‘Stargate SG-1’ is incredibly popular with both men and women because of the
essential grouping of characters including a principle female character
(Samantha Carter) and quintessential male character (Jack O’Neill). In 2002 the
show moved from its founding channel, Showtime, to the more Science Fiction
oriented Sci-Fi Channel. This was due to a mix of costs and ratings, since the
show had been doing fantastic in viewership but Showtime wanted to replace it.
During this change over, one of the crucial characters left the show. This
resulted in a considerable upheaval of viewers, especially female audiences
that rapidly declined after the change because rumours of the show focusing on
a male audience instead began to circulate (Scodari 2003:122-124). Originally,
the Fox owned network, Showtime, signed a 2-year contract to syndicate
‘Stargate’. The deal included 44-hours of shows (over two year) with financial
terms that involved each station earning seven minutes of ad time each episode,
according to MGM officials (Schlosser 1997:1). During this period, Showtime
also decided along with MGM to premier a companion Website “intended to draw
viewers ore deeply into the series”. Within the Website, Episodic information
as well as insider’s perspectives would be introduced (Tedesco 1997:1).
Although, directly this does not generate profit it does allow the Network
operators to control the flow of information and hopefully cause the audience
to become dependent on the website. After several years airing on Showtime,
‘Stargate SG-1’ eventually became a “force in the action-hour genre”. During
2001, after having four seasons in syndication it caused the show to average a
household rating of 2.7 (Nielsen Rating) and recognised as the
“second-highest-rated action series” (Schlosser 2001:1). The appearance of a
spin-off to the high successful ‘Stargate’ franchise, named ‘Stargate:
Atlantis’, not only created a new fan-base to focus on but generated new
interest in the original series resulting in a continuation of the series. As
Stargate moved into its tenth year, it became the longest-running sci-fi series
in North America, eclipsing the X-Files. During this period of growth and
expansion the show garnered n international following with the show airing in
over 120 territories including the UK, Australia, Germany and France. In
addition, the series had inspired an ever-expanding selection of magazines,
DVDs, books and other merchandise (Binning 2006:29). The rise of iTunes had
spawned another economic forum for selling ‘Stargate’. In 2006, MGM decided to
make its television content available starting ‘Stargate SG-1” and eventually
its spin-off (Okalow 2006): 13). Although the shows success was limited, after
numerous cancellations and returns the Sci-Fi Channel decided to cancel the
show after its 10th season had aired. This resulted in fan backlash
but the decision to conclude the series via movie format and continuing the
series in a similar matter allowed for only a small impact on ratings (Reynolds
2006:8). The tumultuous history of the ‘Stargate’ franchise opened up a variety
of profitable and politically accessible avenues for Showtime, MGM and the
Sci-Fi Channel. Although, compared to the longer-running BBC operated ‘Doctor
Who’ it fails to achieve the high levels of publicity which competing shows
receive.
The British made
and manufactured ‘Doctor Who’ serial that ran interspersed from 1963 until
1989, finally returned to both UK television and the international television
arena in 2005. In the lead up to the continuation of the ‘Doctor Who’ franchise
Britain became a testing ground for new styles and forms of media to advertise
and promote the return. The series has even continued to use a plethora of new
technology to increase viewership and interest in the show. Including, but not
currently limited to, mini-episodes on mobile phones, pod cast commentaries,
interactive red-button adventures, video blogs, companion programming and
‘fake’ meta-textual websites. After airing the first season in 2005, it was
decided by the BBC to create two spin-offs aimed at different segments of the
public. The series, Torchwood (an anagram for Doctor Who) would involve one of
the breakout stars from Season 1, Jack Barrowman. The show focused on a Human
agency that researched aliens, but the show had a darker more sexual tone as
opposed to ‘Doctor Who’. The series was aimed at the adult viewers who had been
raised watching the original and seemed to be focused more on the characters
rather then story or plot. The ‘Sarah Jane Smith Adventures’ were aimed
directed at new viewers between the ages of 11-15 years old. The appearance of
the original companion, Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 helped to garner further
support for the show. Although, the BBC had originally been seen as “an
embarrassment to the to the Corporation now spans the media landscape as a
multi-format colossus”. The BBC and ‘Doctor Who’ has found some evident
limitations, such as the broadcaster mainly being used for public service and
that the network can only take the trans-media storytelling so far. (Perryman
2008:21-39). The new series of ‘Doctor Who’ utilized numerous technological
advancements that had no precedent.
The television format
of media can be analysed using Political Economy, although this format has limitations
but allows for a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of how series and
advertising co-operate in a globalised world.
Bibliography:
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rejoice in series’ success”. Playback:
Canada’s Broadcast and Production Journal, NA, (Periodically): 29
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O’Shaughnessy, M. and Stadler, J. (2006) Media and Society. Melbourne: Oxford University Press
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