Reality TV Essay

Unscripted program, real people NOT actors in a specific environment Normal people with no discernible talent, no discernible insights, but who are willing, eager to be seen and heard living their own life. -â€Å"real life† television is filmed with out stoppage time, and then edited to catch the viewers eye -certifiable global pop-culture phenomenon Reality TV comes is all different forms now from daily life of real people such as Big Brother and Jersey Shore, sports shows, business shows like undercover boss and dirtiest jobs, talent shows such as American Idol and Dancing with the stars, family shows John and Kate plus 8, and motivational shows like biggest loser and survivor. – This eventually led to being filmed and put on TV in 1948. â€Å"Candid Camera† (CQ researcher: Reality TV: Maryann Haggerty -In 1989 COPS came on air because of the writers guild of American strike. This show followed police during their daily activities. It began with no music or narration just a simple camera following a police. -Over on ABC, beginning in 1990, people were turning their own cameras on family and pets to make â€Å"America’s Funniest Home Videos -In 1992, reality TV was a novelty. In 2000, it was a fad. In 2010, it’s a way of life. Time Magazine article – It wasn’t until the premiere of ‘The Real World’ on MTV in 1992 that we began to witness the emergence of many of the textual characteristics that would come to define the genre’s current format,† -In 2008, the Emmys awarded a stature to the best host of a reality TV show for the first time, which was exciting news to all†¦ – -ABC NBC Fox MTV CBS – -In 2010 Reality TV is now a valid career choice. The New York Times estimated that at any given time, there are 1,000 people on air as reality TV stars. Topic 3: Addictiveness of Reality TV – One reason for their popularity is financial: an hour of reality can cost a few hundred thousand dollars, compared to the one to three million for a scripted drama. – But part of the reason fans become involved in the show is that they get invested in the good guys and bad guys. -That’s how people watch reality TV: you can doubt it, interrogate it, talk back to it, believe it, or not.