The American Television Industry (review)

In The American Television Industry, Michael Curtin and Jane Shattuc take on the daunting task of trying to outline the workings of US television. Anyone who has ever taught the television business to introductory students knows the difficulty of this task. A discussion of one part of the system (such as program production) inevitably requires an understanding of another element (such as syndication); the question becomes, what do you cover first in order to cause the least confusion? The other significant problem with writing about the television industry at this point is the changing industrial environment. Almost all sectors of the television industry are undergoing foundational shifts caused by numerous factors including conglomeration, globalisation and technological expansion. Attempting to explain the television business can be quite tricky because the ground continues to shift underneath the industry, and new pacts and deals are struck seemingly every day.

Curtin and Shattuc take on this overwhelming undertaking with quite a bit of success. They cover the major points and provide a useful starting point for understanding the significance of the business of television. The chapters outline the major players in the television industry, audiences, advertisers, production, programming and branding, as well as a chapter on the rise of infotainment television. The book is very well researched with compelling examples that are recent and relevant. Although the currency of the research will pass, the information accumulated focuses primarily on 2007-8, a particularly exceptional season due to the Writer's Strike that will continue to serve as an interesting moment in the industry's history. Information on the Nielsen ratings, advertising costs and audiences offers insight into the economic operations of US television. Of note is the means the authors use to explain different programming strategies. Rather than simply listing and describing the main terms, such as counterprogramming, lead-in, tent-poling and so on, the authors focus on two nights of network prime-time programming from 2007 and explore how these strategies are used in practice. This method is engaging and practical and is likely to help students understand programming - at least as long as they remain familiar with the shows being discussed.

In addition to The American Television Industry's success at explaining the 'nuts and bolts' of the industry, the book puts industrial practices into a larger context that contributes to an understanding of how the business shapes television's aesthetic and cultural roles. There are two recurring ideas running through The American Television Industry that are useful for connecting the industry to television's social, cultural and aesthetic practices. First, the authors propose that we think of the current period of television production and consumption as part of the 'matrix era'. In what seems to be a discursive shift away from the terminology of 'the post network era' popularised by Amanda Lotz in The Television Will Be Revolutionized (2007), Curtin and Shattuc approach contemporary television as a matrix 'characterized by interactive exchanges, multiple sites of productivity and diverse modes of interpretation and use' (176). This idea highlights the changing role of broadcast and cable networks in an environment in which a 'television set' is only one means of access to televisual entertainment. Although the concept could use some further exploration and better integration into the chapters, the image of the matrix is a compelling way to visualise television at this time.

The other theme that runs through the book is a steady rejection of technological determinism. The authors argue that 'technology is commonly seen as the most important factor in bringing about the decline of the classical network system', but this can be 'enriched by pointing to a host of other factors that prompted the development of these new technologies' (11). The drive to contextualise the role of technology in the development of the 'matrix era' is important - especially when teaching undergraduates about the industry. Often they, like most viewers, assume that change happens when technology becomes available, as if the ultimate use of a technology is inevitable and not one...