The Content Makers

I am happy to admit that I am a Sunrise fan. Almost every morning when I get up I switch on the kettle and switch on the TV to Sunrise while I eat my breakfast. After reading The Content Makers I tried to think what made me watch Sunrise over the Today Show. All I can put it down to really are the presenters. I like Kochi and Mel. I like the way they talk, and what they talk about. They are friendly,at ease on the set and their personalities shine through. It was very interesting to read about the show in The Content Makers, to find out why the show is run as it is. That it wants to make audiences feel included and at home. Well they got me, I fell for it hook, line and sinker.

 

I guess the average Australian isn't thinking about the huge inter-channel wars when they flick through channels each day looking for something to watch. What we choose to watch and why is all about personal taste, deciding what we do and don't like. But companies like Channel 7 and Channel 9 have to take all this on board, and they do on a level I was never really aware of. I was amazed reading The Content Makers at how much thought goes into what is shown. Remote controls rule what we can watch on tv. If too many people flick the button on a show, that show is history. Its seems pretty harsh action but I guess these companies want the 'biggest bang for their buck'.

I found myself feeling sad that Australian documentaries and drama were on the downfall and will possibly be scrapped altogether is current legislation is changed. But thinking about it, do I actually watch any Australian docs or dramas? I admit guiltily, no. Maybe one documentary every few weeks. So I am supporting the decline myself. At the same time I don't like the idea of more cheaply run panel shows, reality shows like Australian Idol. Its got me wondering will there be anything I want to watch on TV in a few years time? Just Sunrise in the morning perhaps? The Content Makers said that most people my age were now on the computer much more than the watching TV and I think one of the reasons is that there really isn't much left on TV that interests my age group anymore.

Below I have written down the first eight news segments of Channel 7 news as told in The Content Makers:

Cross City Tunnel
The drug, ice
Death penalty on drug smuggler in Singapore
Sydney cult leader
Sex shop opening near a school
Bird flu story
Kyoto conference

Which of these am I personally interested in?They all sound relatively interesting to me, so Channel 7 has pretty much hit the nail on the head. They also know what we don't like:

- People turn off the tv if they see blood (no dead bodies)
-People don't want to know just about  the event but what lies underneath it too
-You can't put politicians on tv anymore
-Shows that aren't interactive,  Sunrise is such a success because of interactivity
- Drama is less popular now and it is expensive to produce


I still think its a little freaky that companies can predict what will be news 'hit' and what won't. And is this a good thing? I'm not convinced it is. At the end of the article there was a mention of Q-scores that measure the level of attachment people have for the programs they watch. It starts to feel like these companies are mind-reading us. Where could this lead? Mind-washing? Privacy invasion? Who knows, but I'm not sure I like the way all this is heading.