Reality TV

“Origin Of Reality Television”
What Impact Reality Television Has On Society?
Television has become a member of almost every family on our planet. It is not just any ordinary member, but a very important one, because the time spent next to it exceeds the amount of time spent together with any other family member. You don 't have to apply any efforts to talk or listen to complaints while communicating with it. Television has the power to alter society. Whether we realize it or not, what we watch and listen to stays in our brain for many years. The question is "What is Reality Television?" one might ask. Reality Television is defined by MSN Encarta as "television programs that present people in live, though often deliberately manufactured, situation and monitor their emotions and behavior".
What was the first reality television show? Survivor, The Real World, or maybe even Temptation Island. The answer to all of these common assumptions is no. Reality television came about long before Survivor and The Real World; it has been around for over fifty years. The first reality show was aired in 1948, long before Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and was on the air until 2000. This made it not only the first reality television series, but also the longest running reality show. So do you know what it is? Maybe this will give it away, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!” Candid Camera was the first reality television show.
Candid Camera was originated by a man named Allen Funt, and continued by Peter Funt, his son, after Allen retired. Funt thought of the show while serving in the armed forces. He started by taping complaints of servicemen and broadcasting them over the Armed Forces Radio. He later took the idea to network radio, and in 1947 had a radio show called Candid Microphone.
In 1948, ABC cast the program on their network and kept the name Candid Microphone. However, in 1947 the show was moved to NBC, and the name was changed to Candid Camera. Over the years, Candid Camera was not only aired on ABC and NBC; it also was broadcast on CBS and other syndicated channels.

The point of the show was to put hidden cameras in unexpected places and position people in baffling situations to look at, watching their reactions. Situations included a lady asking someone to help her because she was having car trouble, but when the people would open up her hood there wasn’t an engine. Another such situation had a bowler waiting for his bowling ball to come from the ball-return, and when it did the ball wouldn’t have the finger holes that it should. The segments always ended with the saying, “Smile; you 're on Candid Camera!”

Soon after Candid Camera, “Wanted” was introduced as the second reality television show. Wanted discussed crimes and criminals and included interviews with victims’ families as well as public authorities that worked on the crime cases. While it only lasted for one year, it inspired the hit television series, America’s Most Wanted, which aired in 1988.
America’s Most Wanted is still on the air and is hosted by John Walsh, whose son was kidnapped and murdered. The show presents information about crimes, and reenacts the crimes. To date, the show has helped to capture catch over 600 criminals. Following America’s Most Wanted was a show called Cops, which is also still on the air. Cops aired in 1989 and is also a crime fighting television show.

In 1973, An American Family debuted on PBS. This was a documentary about the loud family from Santa Barbara, California. The loud family was taped for over 300 hours, but only 12 of those hours have gotten airtime. This show was produced by Craig Gilbert an American Family. It was viewed by over 10 million viewers. The show unfolded with Bill and Pat Loud, the parents, splitting up, and Lance, their son, coming-out and saying he was gay. Unfortunately, like many reality shows today, the Loud family complained that the broadcasting of the show misinterpreted their lives.

"The Real World" on MTV hit series was based on the lives of an American Family which was aired in 1991 is still on television. The group worked arduously on filming the shoe having regular day to day jobs and lived in normal households. However, there are critics who complained that the “American Family” and “The Real World” do not highlight the reality of what takes place in the homes of the characters. As you can see, reality television not only existed before films such as "Survivor", it was popular as well. While it is true that reality based televising shows have flourished since "Survivor", reality television has been around for a number of years. It just wasn’t the phenomenon that it has become since the premier of "Survivor" in 2000.
Like everything else Reality television has impacted on society negatively and positively. While reality television has increased in prevalence for more than a decade, the effects it has on viewers is still widely unknown.
Dr.Peter Christenson (2000), a professor of rhetoric and media studies at Lewis and Clark College, said that because the medium is still new, comprehensive studies of reality television and its effects are limited. Christenson (2000) declared “I don 't think we know that much yet, It’s difficult to draw the cause and effect type of conclusion".
Christenson co-authorized a study in 2006 that analyzed reality television programs with medical and health themes. He found that, while the shows seemed to inspire healthier behavior in some viewer, there was a lot of emphasis placed on superficiality-something, which over time, he said, may have an effect on viewers ' body image and self-esteem.
Dr. Brad Gorham, chair of the Communications Department at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, said studies have shown that television has an effect on one’s body image and self esteem

According to Gorham “All TV shows, not just reality shows, help construct scenarios that demonstrate how some behaviors will be rewarded or punished,” “The concern is that frequent viewers of these shows will learn these behaviors, see them as desirable and then model them in the actual real world.” Gorham said one of the reasons why there are so many reality shows currently on television is because they are profitable for networks.
According to Gorham “Reality shows are cheaper to produce than scripted dramas or sitcoms, so they need fewer viewers in order to become profitable for the network,” Gorham also stated that it all comes down to money, and reality shows characters are good short-term performers.

Therefore with the focus on profit, some networks don’t pay enough attention to the negative stereotypes reality programs can illustrate and perpetuate.
Sherri Williams (2012), a PhD. candidate and adjunct instructor at Syracuse University, said that casting decisions in reality television seemed to be based on stereotypes – a notion she finds to be problematic.

“It seems that reality show directors and producers are not looking to cast whole, complete people. They’re casting types, and that leads to stereotyping,” Williams said.
Williams also notes that many reality programs demonstrate behavior, but never show the characters facing the results of their actions.
“There aren’t any consequences on these shows, and that’s problematic.”
While Williams said she takes issue with a lot of the reality programs on television, she acknowledges that it’s not all bad.
Williams, whose research focuses on media diversity, said shows such as "The Family Crews” and "Being Terry Kennedy" on BET are positive programs, in that they demonstrate counter-stereotypical black male behavior. Williams also said "Mary Mary" on WETV, and Welcome to "Sweetie Pie’s" on OWN are positive reality programs that combat negative stereotypes.

Jaime Riccio, a graduate student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, is in the midst of researching reality television and the effect it’s having on youth culture in the United States.
In 2010, Riccio said she began conducting a series of focus groups, interviews and surveys on the subject. What she has found is that reality television is leading to more dramatic tendencies in everyday life among young adults.
“Because there is so much of that now that is being broadcast and that people are consuming, it is having an overarching effect on our youth culture,” Riccio said. “It’s an interesting area to look at, because it’s so new, and I think it’s something we’re going to have to look at even further in the future.”

According to Laurie Ouellette’s (2000) “Reality Television in fact may be something good for the development of our society and civil understanding of popular issues.
Reality Television is also referred to as “Reality TV”. This media may be messing up society, but it also has a positive impact by making the society stronger and better. Laurie Ouellette’s also stated, “To never judge a medium, an idea, before knowing more about it and hearing different believes opinions about its effects.”
Different individuals view reality in different ways. Some see it as a threat to society whereas, others see it as something to lift it. Either way, Reality Television has an impact on society both positively and negatively.

Bibliography
ABC Website. Making the Band. Available Online: http://www.abc.go.com/primetime/makingtheband/making_the_band.html Americas Most Wanted (2002) America Fights Back. Available Online: http://www. Americasmostwanted
PBS Website. American High About the show.
Available Online: http://www.pbs.org/americanhigh/behind/index.html
MSN Encarta Website.
Available Online: http://www.msn.org/realitytelevision.com/
PBS Website. Senior Year About the show.
Available Online: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/senioryear/show/index.html
Reality Based Television.
Available Online: http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~natuy/history.html
Reality Television News Online
Available Online: http://www.realitynewsonline.com/
Reality Television
Available Online: http://www.reality-television.com/bardot.htm

Bibliography: Americas Most Wanted (2002) America Fights Back.