Independent, Noncommercial Television: Technological, Economic and Social Bases of a New M\Del of Video Production
Year: 2005
Type: preprint
Abstract: Internet communications and digital technologies reduce the costs of production and expand the means of distribution, providing an increasing number of ways to put high quality video before the public at declining cost. They also create the possibility for people to produce their own content and control the flow of information. This unlocks a strong desire to engage more directly in civic discourse, to participate in political processes and to find communities of shared political interests. A profound dissatisfaction with the traditional commercial mass media reinforces these desires for expression and participation. This paper examines the opportunity for new approaches to financing the production and distribution of video content – independent, noncommercial television (INCTV) – supported neither by government nor by advertising – emerging from the intersection of technological, economic and social change. Commercial TV monetizes it audience as consumers to be sold to advertisers. Cable TV aggregates programs to sell to the audience. Public television seeks altruistic contributions from viewers by delivering primarily high quality entertainment content. INCTV can address its audience differently, as a public, monetizing a direct relationship by offering active membership in a cooperative undertaking. The potential audience by year-end 2005 is at least 65 million households will be addressable in an interactive, multiplatform model. The size of the “news junkie” audience is in excess of 40 million. The success of certain types of commercial and noncommercial, small audience programming suggests a $5 per monthly fee from half a million members is achievable, which yields an operating budget larger than many of the top 50 niche cable channels. Reviewing what people “get” from the flowering participation on the Internet, the paper posits three important principles for INCTV to attract members. To establish trust and provide participatory gratification, INCTV must offer program-linked participation opportunities. To distinguish its content, programming must be investigative and/or politically pointed. Local programming must be directly relevant and (preferably) locally produced. The paper concludes by suggesting that progressive movements may be particularly well positioned to seize this opportunity because of their critique of the commercial mass media and their advantage in Internet-based organizing, but it cautions that the commercial mass media will adapt, seeking to preserve their dominance and the outcome far from clear.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Author: Mark N. Cooper
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1491953256