In the week two reading of Jones’ ‘I Want My Talk TV: Network Talk Shows in a Digital Universe’, they talked about the importance of daytime and late-night television. Morning talk shows were able to perfectly blend news with entertainment, thus creating light content for viewers that requires minimal attention in the morning while sending out important information to audiences (Jones, 2009). On the other hand, Jones (2009) explains that late-night shows are designed to amuse audiences and have cleverly distinguished the programing into apparent segments. By having the programing split into two dayparts, talk shows can easily entertain a viewer from morning til’ night while staying true to the brand attributes, therefore creating a sense of relationship between the consumer and the show & cast. Television networks are now using that relationship they built with the audience, and adapt from a content company to an audience company, to combat the decline of Network TV and the rise of digital media.
With times changing and much of everything shifting towards the digital era with digital platforms, many television networks are also positioning towards digital platforms. In the reading, Jones (2009) points out that it’s never ideal to wait on consumers to come to the network; instead, they should jump on where the consumers are. Going back to networks becoming an audience company, I identified that I’ve seen numerous tv networks adapt and have their content distributed everywhere online. Digital platforms such as 9Now, ABC iView, and Stan are examples of digital platforms that I go on to watch late-night TV if I’m in the mood to binge. In addition, television networks creating their own digital platform has allowed old and new audiences to be the curator for what they want to watch. For example, having the ability to pick out which talk show and which episode allows the user to be active instead of passive users, and create relationships with the show.
As network talk shows have transitioned with the digital times, they are still creating buzz and staying relevant through their usual format of dividing the program into distinct segments. Segments allow for easy distribution on third-party sites such as YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter. Giving users easy access to the programs on various outlets has helped keep the ratings of talk shows in demand (Jones, 2009). At times, a Jimmy Fallon video would pop up on my suggested YouTube page, and I would spend 2 hours watching the short clips because it’s entertaining. Furthermore, Jones (2009) mentions that it depends on the context of when and where the viewer is watching the program. I could admit that I would rather watch short clips of talk shows on my phone in the tram rather than watch the entire show at home. Moreover, I would be able to add this into my own media-making work, for example, selecting the best snippets of my wrestling and uploading it onto TikTok and Instagram to gain new audiences and build a relationship with them.
References
Jones, J 2009, ‘I Want My Talk TV: Network Talk Shows in a Digital Universe’, in Amanda Lotz (ed.), Beyond Prime Time: Television Programming in the Post-Network Era, Routledge, New York, pp. 14-35.