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The traditional documentary programming of network television's bygone era has given way to the recent explosion of ratings-driven, personality-based news magazine programming. While ostensibly conforming to a high standard of public service, these magazines, as even some of their producers admit, must succumb to the forces of public appetite and profit maximization in order to be competitive.
This study examines this phenomenon of the electronic magazine and shows how the soft news programs affect the public's view of American politics and culture. Maintaining the distinction between the syndicated, tabloid-style programming (whose survival depends almost entirely on rating success) and the more responsibly conceived network magazine programming, Spragens provides a thorough content analysis of
60 Minutes,
Dateline NBC,
20/20, and similar network series. His study traces the development of the television magazine genre from the original
60 Minutes through the current crop of news programs; it tracks the soft/hard or sensational/serious content dichotomy and its relation to ratings; and it draws conclusions about the trends in soft news programming and their impact on the American public.
List of contents
Preface
Introduction
The Development of Magazine Programming
Early Soft News Programs: "60 Minutes"
Trends Away from Traditional Documentaries
Content Analysis of 1992 "60 Minutes" Programs
Beginnings and Development of "48 Hours" Series
"Street Stories" Program Content in 1992 and 1993
"West 57th" Contents; HIV/AIDS and Ocean Salvage Segments
Aggressive Trends in Programming on ABC Magazines
Audience Rankings (1985-1993) -- Interpreting Data
"Tabloids" versus Magazine Programs: Networks' Role as Standard Setter
Appendix One: "60 Minutes" Broadcasts
Appendix Two: "48 Hours" Broadcasts
Appendix Three: "Street Stories" Broadcasts
Appendix Four: "20/20" and "PrimeTime Live" Broadcasts
Appendix Five: "Dateline NBC" Broadcasts
Bibliography
Index
About the author
WILLIAM C. SPRAGENS is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he taught from 1969 to 1986.
