Mass Communications

India Taylor

Mass Communications 121-GS

Written Assignment 2

From the perspective of a network television executive, outline and explain the major concerns now facing the broadcasting industry. Be specific.

A network televisions executive ‘s job can be very exhausting. Their schedules can be extremely rigorous and their concerns mounting. It is very important for them to decide the right fit for television shows on the station that is going to attract a large audience, financial investors, and advertising commercials. These requirements cause them to dig through hundreds of possible shows that could be a major hit. The executives are constantly hit with roadblocks that can lead to much success or a complete failure. For instance, The Office, a fake documentary show, started as a success in Britain and then transferred to the United States as a revamp. The executives had to make a sound decision on the cast and how to time the offbeat humor of the show in an American way. The good decision-making paid off and The Office was a huge success; because they chose Steve Carrell, the star of The 40 Year Old Virgin, his personality was perfect for the main character of the show. Never the less, how flawless the executive’s decisions in everyday seem, there are huge concerns that they have everyday. The competition is becoming stiff and the Internet is the finding new ways to take on the broadcasting industry everyday or dealing with piracy that can possibly make the station lose ratings.

Executives of stations such as CBS or ABC did not worry so much about online streaming companies like Netflix. New broadcast of shows kept the audience memorized. Netflix just had a cast off of shows from other networks that allowed a member to watch old seasons. The television executives worried about very little when it came to competition for new shows except for the other broadcasting networks. In 2012 Netflix launched their first original series called House of Cards and to...