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Societal Relevance As Success Factor of TV Series: the Creators’ Perception Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2019 Societal relevance as success factor of TV series: the creators’ perception Verhoeven, Marcel Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-170818 Dissertation Published Version Originally published at: Verhoeven, Marcel. Societal relevance as success factor of TV series: the creators’ perception. 2019, University of Zurich, Faculty of Arts. Societal Relevance as Success Factor of TV Series: The Creators’ Perception Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the University of Zurich for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Marcel Verhoeven Accepted in the Spring Term 2019 on the Recommendation of the Doctoral Committee: Prof. Dr. Gabriele Siegert (main advisor) Prof. Dr. M. Bjørn von Rimscha (second advisor) Zurich, 2019 0 Abstract Media mediate societally relevant messages in formats that disseminate information. However, the communication of ideas and opinions on societal issues also takes place in entertainment formats such as fictional TV series. Furthermore, mediation in entertainment is often regarded as more effective than dissemination through information formats, (also) due to the evading of recipients’ selection barriers. The importance of investigating TV series bases on the format’s large narrative space that enables the communication and repetition of ideas and messages and on the format’s popularity with audiences and, consequently, with broadcasters. Countless different influences shape the composition of TV series’ content and the inclusion of societally relevant messages. One potentially very important reason for incorporating specific messages and content elements in TV series is the extent to which decision-makers regard societal relevance as a success factor. The present study investigates the creators’ perception of what societal relevance as a content element of TV series consists of, and to what extent they perceive these elements as a factor in the success of TV series. Questions about the decision-making about content logically precede the investigation of the perceptions of content and messages in TV series and their contribution to success. The present study thus first investigates which factors constrain and enable the creative work on TV series in the creators’ perception. The influences on the content of TV series are assigned to five levels of a conceptual hierarchical model by Shoemaker and Reese (2014): the levels of the social system, social institution, organization, routines and the individual. The data are gathered in in-depth interviews with thirty-five elite respondents, thirty-two creators (writers, producers, developers) and three industry experts. The analysis method is qualitative content analysis with inductive category development and deductive category application. The data are subjected to descriptive, qualitative-quantitative salience analysis and qualitative comparative analysis. The results show that the factors on the most salient organization level are multi-faceted and enable slightly more than they constrain the creation of TV series. On three levels, more constraining than enabling factors are found. On the more macro levels, the radical changes in the media landscape and the market for TV series exert influences that enable in various ways and constrain creation and mediation in other respects. Most intensely discussed are the influences on the meso and micro levels that are exerted by commissioning organizations, production teams, and individual writers, producers and developers in the service of broadcasters. Controversial topics are regarded as societally relevant and are the most prominent category of topics in the data. This category also contributes most to the success of TV series in the eyes of the interviewees. Cultural proximity of content and target audience is societally relevant and is a success factor in, mainly, smaller markets, according to the creators. Most respondents label realism as societally relevant and it is a success factor to a fair share of the interview participants. Social and socio-political issues are societally relevant and are marginal success factors in I the data. Portrayals of politics and politicians are societally relevant but hardly contribute to (audience) success. Of all the main social segregators, the portrayal of gender (women) is a prominent societally relevant issue that can also, according to a share of the respondents, further success. Less salient societally relevant topics in TV series are treatments of ethnicity, class and sexuality. Interviewees seldom connect these topics to success. Ideal types are distilled in the present study by extrapolation of emerging tendencies in the data. The types condense findings and inform further on the creators’ perceptions of influences on content and societal relevance as success factor. Six ideal types emerge in the data: the audience servant, the crafter, the salesperson, the messenger, the paymaster servant, and the artist. In a comparison across subsamples of countries, business models of broadcasters, and functions in creation, strong variations in the salience of ideal types appear. In conclusion, factors related to the commissioning organization are the strongest determinants of the content of TV series. TV series remain, however, a people business in which influential individuals have room to maneuver. Decision- making is, to an extent, based on potentially invalid information pertaining to the perception of broadcasters’ and audiences’ demands. The respondents display varying interpretations of societal relevance and the success of TV series. Societal relevance is a conditional success factor of TV series and is an ingredient of routes to audience success. II Table of Content Table of Figures ............................................................................................................... XIII List of Tables .................................................................................................................... XIV 1. Introduction and Research Questions ........................................................................ 1 1.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Study Overview.......................................................................................................... 3 1.3. Research Questions .................................................................................................... 4 1.4. Definitions, Interpretations and Demarcations ..................................................... 5 1.4.1. Media: Institution, Systems, Types, Sectors ........................................................ 5 1.4.2. Levels of Analysis ................................................................................................... 5 1.4.3. Media Content, Texts, Creators ............................................................................ 6 1.4.4. TV Series, Narratives .............................................................................................. 7 1.4.5. TV Production and Broadcasting as Cultural Industry .................................... 7 1.4.6. TV Series as Popular Culture ................................................................................ 7 1.4.7. Societal Relevance ................................................................................................... 8 I Literature Review .............................................................................................................. 9 2. Introduction to the Literature Review ........................................................................ 9 3. Communication Science Framework ........................................................................ 12 3.1. Approaches to Study of Media and Communication ......................................... 12 3.2. Relevant Theory, Models, Perspectives ................................................................ 13 3.3. The Main Media-Society Theories ......................................................................... 15 3.4. Media, Power, Society ............................................................................................. 16 3.5. Features of the Institution Media ........................................................................... 17 3.6. Problems of ‘Cultural Industries’ .......................................................................... 18 3.7. Media Organizations, Decision-Making ............................................................... 19 3.8. Media Workers, Typologies ................................................................................... 21 4. Relevance of TV Series and Messages ...................................................................... 25 4.1. Significance of TV Series ......................................................................................... 25 4.2. Mediation in TV Series ............................................................................................ 26 4.3. Audience Effects of Messages ................................................................................ 27 5. Influences on Content of TV Series ........................................................................... 30 5.1. The “Hierarchy of Influences Model” ..................................................................
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