Copyright by Elizabeth Ann Maclean 2014
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Copyright by Elizabeth Ann MacLean 2014 The Dissertation Committee for Elizabeth Ann MacLean Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: “Not Your Abuela’s Telenovela: Mujeres Asesinas As a Hybrid Latin American Fiction Format” Committee: Joseph D. Straubhaar, Supervisor América Rodríguez Charles Ramírez Berg Shanti Kumar Viviana Rojas “Not Your Abuela’s Telenovela: Mujeres Asesinas As a Hybrid Latin American Fiction Format” by Elizabeth Ann MacLean, B.F.A., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December 2014 Dedication To Alejandro, Diego, mom and dad, with all my love and gratitude. Acknowledgements Over my time at The University of Texas at Austin, I have received support and encouragement from a great number of individuals. Dr. Joseph D. Straubhaar has been not only a mentor, but also a colleague and a friend. His teaching and guidance pointed the way and made my journey through graduate school that much more rewarding. I would also like to thank my committee members, Drs. Charles Ramírez Berg, Shanti Kumar, Viviana Rojas and América Rodríguez who so kindly and patiently shared their knowledge and provided important insights as I moved from an idea to a proposal, and then to a completed study. I am grateful for the support of the National Association of Television Executives, NATPE, and Dr. Gregg Pitts, who provided an invaluable opportunity to learn about international television markets on site, in Miami. I would also like to thank the media executives, practitioners and scholars who gave their time to participate in this project. I am also grateful to Dr. Emile McAnany, who first introduced me to the Radio- Television-Film program as a prospective M.A. student, and also opened my eyes to the social and cultural impact of communication technologies in Latin America. Thanks also to the RTF Department staff for their support, and in particular to Char Burke, who provided a friendly and steady anchor when I struggled to balance the demands of employment in the College with my role as a student. My journey would have not been possible without the loving support of my family and friends. To my parents, Bill and Dawn, and my children, Alex and Diego, words cannot convey my infinite gratitude. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made on my behalf. v Finally, I would like to thank Dr. América Rodríguez once more, for planting the seed and giving me the first push. vi “Not Your Abuela’s Telenovela: Mujeres Asesinas As a Hybrid Latin American Fiction Format” by Elizabeth Ann MacLean, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2014 SUPERVISOR: Joseph D. Straubhaar This dissertation traces the trajectory of Mujeres Asesinas (“Killer Women”) as a fiction series developed in Argentina for a domestic audience (2005-2008), to the Mexican television format adaptation explicitly produced for a transnational Spanish- language audience (2008-2011). A critical transculturalism theoretical framework (Kraidy, 2005), centered on hybridity, provides a multi-layered approach to the inquiry by counterposing two distinct locales with the institutions, practices, processes and relationships that link them, as well as the hybrid text that serves as the site of negotiation. As a reality-based fiction series developed and adapted by independent producers with links to powerful media players in their own countries, Mujeres Asesinas provides a vehicle through which to understand some of the tensions and contradictions surrounding the regional television format business from a local-to-local perspective with attention to local, national and transnational forces and constraints. The format’s vii production and localization reveals a complex web of contextual and relational links that complicate current understandings of media globalization, particularly around the rise of independent media production and the transition to a multi-channel media environment. My findings underscore the role of nation states as primary sites of media, regulation and cultural policy-making. As a case study, this work contributes to the growing bodies of research on counter flows of global television formats and intraregional television flows in Latin America. viii Table of Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ xi Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Television flows ....................................................................................................................... 3 Hybrid Production ................................................................................................................... 6 Hybrid Business Practices ....................................................................................................... 8 Multilayered Distribution and Content Diversification ........................................................... 9 Independent or “Interdependent” Producers? ........................................................................ 10 Textual Hybridity: Mujeres Asesinas as a Hybrid Text ........................................................ 13 Background ............................................................................................................................ 16 Why Mujeres Asesinas? ........................................................................................................ 19 Literature Review .................................................................................................................. 23 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................................... 35 Research Questions ................................................................................................................ 47 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 48 Scope Argument .................................................................................................................... 51 Research Limitations ............................................................................................................. 51 Chapter Outlines .................................................................................................................... 52 Chapter 2: Mujeres Asesinas: The Emergence ..................................................................... 56 of a Television Format in Argentina ....................................................................................... 56 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 56 History of Television in Argentina ........................................................................................ 57 Current Context ..................................................................................................................... 65 Grupo Clarín .......................................................................................................................... 69 Pol-Ka Producciones ............................................................................................................. 72 Independent Television Production in Argentina .................................................................. 74 State Initiatives for Independent Television Production ....................................................... 78 Evolving Business Models and Relationships ....................................................................... 81 Industry Strategy and Relationships: The Power of Individual Entrepreneurs ..................... 83 Industry Disruptions: Advertising Practices and Labor Disputes .......................................... 85 Issues of Class in Industry Practices ...................................................................................... 88 Mujeres Asesinas, The Book ................................................................................................. 89 From Bestselling Book to Surprise Hit Television Series ..................................................... 95 The Mujeres Asesinas “Formula” .......................................................................................... 99 Mujeres Asesinas, Genre, and Gender Relations ................................................................. 102 Pol-Ka Producciones’ Incursion into Hollywood ................................................................ 105 Discussion and Conclusion .................................................................................................. 107 Chapter 3: The Adaptation of Mujeres Asesinas in Mexico ............................................... 109 Background: The Mexican Audiovisual Context ................................................................ 110 Televisa: Brief Overview ..................................................................................................... 119 The Television Format Industry in Mexico ......................................................................... 122 Pedro Torres and MediaMates ............................................................................................. 129