Cult TV: TV Culture Network
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Northampton
Department Name: School of the Arts
Abstract
Is television culture being digitally transformed? The huge range of websites dedicated to particular TV shows, the variety of television available on video-sharing sites like YouTube, and availability of recent programming on 'view on demand' (VoD) platforms suggest that the answer is yes. Advances in production, recording, and communication technologies have undeniably changed the way TV is produced, distributed, watched and discussed and a recent report suggests that we are watching more TV now than five years ago (Foster and Broughton, 2011). BBC data shows that iPlayer received 141 million requests for TV and radio programmes in April 2011 (BBC report, 2011); Foster and Broughton's analysis posits that around 5% of UK fixed broadband and mobile network income (approximately £1 billion) can be attributed to video downloads and streaming; and all major content providers have their own VoD services and make content for mobile and other media. While a drama is off the air, minisodes released through the official website keep an audience engaged. Fan forums exchange the latest news about developing storylines or cast and crew changes. Ancillary materials (DVD extras or dedicated TV documentaries like Doctor Who Confidential) discuss special effects or action for HD, or how CGI is used to create the latest spectacular creature or place.
Much of this activity is a continuation from old media to new media. Cult TV scholars have experience in studying what place special effects have in television, how audiences consume their favourite show, or how TV is officially and unofficially discussed, debated and archived. The Cult TV: TV Cultures Network will bring together scholars with this experience, along with people who create and produce television, those who train the creative industries workforce, the museums and organisations charged with preserving television as part of our culture, and fan-scholars who, more unofficially, also debate, collect and archive TV culture to discuss developments in digital-era television. Representatives from these various groups will identify key areas for debate and development, discussing who 'authors' or 'owns' television content and characters now they are spread across multiple media, or analysing ways that TV culture enriches social identity. The emphasis is on pooling knowledge and approaches in order to develop new ways of cooperating to tackle problems (e.g. fulfilling the demands of new TV industry for a range of skills in its workers) or developing future strategies (e.g. for archiving TV as cultural memory).
Planned activities such as workshops and symposia will encourage debate among different stakeholder groups, and some will be designed to engage the public, keeping the debates accessible. A directory of academic expertise aims to stimulate ongoing collaboration between academic researchers and anyone with an interest in producing, preserving or consuming television. An advisory paper will identify significant areas for development, and aims to shape the direction of future strategies for digital-era television. The input of non-academic participants will help ground the discussion and the network will benefit equally from academic expertise and from the mainstream address of TV fan-scholars and bloggers and other non-academic members, enabling publications arising from the network's activities to present complex ideas in language readily accessible to a general audience. The network has high potential to contribute to ongoing and vital debates about public policy on digital TV and its future development. Industry, the skills training sector, museums and archives, and the third sector will benefit from academic expertise that can enhance their own activities and planning around digital transformations. In more general terms, the project aims to draw attention to the significant place of television in society and in generational and cultural memory.
Much of this activity is a continuation from old media to new media. Cult TV scholars have experience in studying what place special effects have in television, how audiences consume their favourite show, or how TV is officially and unofficially discussed, debated and archived. The Cult TV: TV Cultures Network will bring together scholars with this experience, along with people who create and produce television, those who train the creative industries workforce, the museums and organisations charged with preserving television as part of our culture, and fan-scholars who, more unofficially, also debate, collect and archive TV culture to discuss developments in digital-era television. Representatives from these various groups will identify key areas for debate and development, discussing who 'authors' or 'owns' television content and characters now they are spread across multiple media, or analysing ways that TV culture enriches social identity. The emphasis is on pooling knowledge and approaches in order to develop new ways of cooperating to tackle problems (e.g. fulfilling the demands of new TV industry for a range of skills in its workers) or developing future strategies (e.g. for archiving TV as cultural memory).
Planned activities such as workshops and symposia will encourage debate among different stakeholder groups, and some will be designed to engage the public, keeping the debates accessible. A directory of academic expertise aims to stimulate ongoing collaboration between academic researchers and anyone with an interest in producing, preserving or consuming television. An advisory paper will identify significant areas for development, and aims to shape the direction of future strategies for digital-era television. The input of non-academic participants will help ground the discussion and the network will benefit equally from academic expertise and from the mainstream address of TV fan-scholars and bloggers and other non-academic members, enabling publications arising from the network's activities to present complex ideas in language readily accessible to a general audience. The network has high potential to contribute to ongoing and vital debates about public policy on digital TV and its future development. Industry, the skills training sector, museums and archives, and the third sector will benefit from academic expertise that can enhance their own activities and planning around digital transformations. In more general terms, the project aims to draw attention to the significant place of television in society and in generational and cultural memory.
Planned Impact
The research outcomes of the Cult TV: TV Cultures Network are likely to contribute to policy makers and government agendas. Creative Skillset has been established as industry body which supports skills and training for people and business to enhance and maintain the UK creative industries; part of the network's project is explicitly to address the skills and training agenda and help discuss and clarify what the creative industries need from future graduates in terms of personnel. An advisory paper will draw attention to these outcomes.
Moreover, public debates, dialogues between key stakeholder groups, and academic research will all feed into recent national developments such as the digital switchover of television in Britain, campaigns for digital inclusion, and the government go-ahead for regional television. Thus the proposed network has high potential to contribute to ongoing and vital debates about public policy on digital TV. In more general terms, the project aims to draw attention to the significant place of television in society and in generational and cultural memory, through engaging with fan-scholars and others who choose to archive and otherwise document the ongoing history of television and its relation with audiences.
The commercial and private sector are also likely beneficiaries. The television sector has a sphere of influence that extends beyond the wider creative industries, to publishing and advertising, as well as manufacturing and broadband deployment. Academic publishers on TV and other popular culture areas (such as I B Tauris) have long advised their authors to aim books at general as well as academic audiences, while a general media publisher like ECW has recently started publishing academic television studies. Many cult television products are established or cult classics with long-term and loyal followings of fans and viewers constantly seeking new analysis of their favourite shows, and this committed fanbase audience necessitates an accessible tone and address. Productive dialogue with fan-scholars and other non-academic groups will further enhance the accessibility of academic research in terms of its tone, address and language.
As outlined above, professional or practitioner groups such as Creative Skillset and the Centre for Digital Enterprise are likely to benefit from the research undertaken by the network. The productive dialogue encouraged by the network's activities should lead to greater understanding of how to improve training for work in the creative industries and better align the agendas of HE sector media courses with skills training organisations.
Museums and organisations with a stake in preserving the cultural and national heritage of television will also benefit. The National Media Museum, the BFI, and regional organisations such as the Media Archive for Central England (MACE) can all work with academic researchers to engage the general public with the cultural heritage of television, enhancing quality of life. Examining how shared experience of watching particular television shows can deepen a sense of social identity is only one example, and there is much work to be done in collaboration with the institutions designed to officially preserve the aspect of cultural heritage to explore these areas. The 'democratisation' of internet and new media invites anyone to comment on issues they consider important in television broadcasting, or to start their own collection of TV-related materials, whether they are deemed to be 'official' or 'unofficial' commentators or archivists. In addition, the third sector could potentially benefit from research that analyses how TV can get audiences talking about issues surrounding identity and representation (for instance, race, gender, sexuality, oppression, disability etc). Some recent work (Jenkins 2012) suggests that a kind of social activism can arise from engagement with popular culture.
Moreover, public debates, dialogues between key stakeholder groups, and academic research will all feed into recent national developments such as the digital switchover of television in Britain, campaigns for digital inclusion, and the government go-ahead for regional television. Thus the proposed network has high potential to contribute to ongoing and vital debates about public policy on digital TV. In more general terms, the project aims to draw attention to the significant place of television in society and in generational and cultural memory, through engaging with fan-scholars and others who choose to archive and otherwise document the ongoing history of television and its relation with audiences.
The commercial and private sector are also likely beneficiaries. The television sector has a sphere of influence that extends beyond the wider creative industries, to publishing and advertising, as well as manufacturing and broadband deployment. Academic publishers on TV and other popular culture areas (such as I B Tauris) have long advised their authors to aim books at general as well as academic audiences, while a general media publisher like ECW has recently started publishing academic television studies. Many cult television products are established or cult classics with long-term and loyal followings of fans and viewers constantly seeking new analysis of their favourite shows, and this committed fanbase audience necessitates an accessible tone and address. Productive dialogue with fan-scholars and other non-academic groups will further enhance the accessibility of academic research in terms of its tone, address and language.
As outlined above, professional or practitioner groups such as Creative Skillset and the Centre for Digital Enterprise are likely to benefit from the research undertaken by the network. The productive dialogue encouraged by the network's activities should lead to greater understanding of how to improve training for work in the creative industries and better align the agendas of HE sector media courses with skills training organisations.
Museums and organisations with a stake in preserving the cultural and national heritage of television will also benefit. The National Media Museum, the BFI, and regional organisations such as the Media Archive for Central England (MACE) can all work with academic researchers to engage the general public with the cultural heritage of television, enhancing quality of life. Examining how shared experience of watching particular television shows can deepen a sense of social identity is only one example, and there is much work to be done in collaboration with the institutions designed to officially preserve the aspect of cultural heritage to explore these areas. The 'democratisation' of internet and new media invites anyone to comment on issues they consider important in television broadcasting, or to start their own collection of TV-related materials, whether they are deemed to be 'official' or 'unofficial' commentators or archivists. In addition, the third sector could potentially benefit from research that analyses how TV can get audiences talking about issues surrounding identity and representation (for instance, race, gender, sexuality, oppression, disability etc). Some recent work (Jenkins 2012) suggests that a kind of social activism can arise from engagement with popular culture.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Lorna Jowett (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | Given this was a networking award, the 'research' funded was manifest in particular activities designed to produce ideas and identify new areas of research or concern collaboratively, across a range of groups with a stake in television culture. As such, the research activities were intended to bring relevant stakeholders together and foster discussion and collaboration that might lead to more concrete future research projects. The main outcomes were two initial exploratory workshops, the On TV event run in conjunction with Sheffield Showroom cinema, and an advisory paper drawing together views from academic, third sector and industry stakeholders about the current areas. This paper, 'Twenty-first Century TV: Future Value,' addressed Skills, Industry Collaboration, Diversity and Cultural Heritage and concluded with 12 recommendations for ensuring the 'future value' of television in the twenty-first century. It is hard to determine as yet to what extent the network activities may influence the direction and nature of future research or collaborations with industry and non-academic partners. However, the level of enthusiasm for the space created for discussion across these stakeholder sectors suggests that individuals and/or organisations benefited from sharing and mutually generating ideas. |
| Exploitation Route | As this was a networking award, the findings are not necessarily as concrete and quantifiable as for other awards. The funded activities may be taken forward by all of the stakeholder groups involved: museums and archives, academics and other training providers, fan scholars and archivists, those working in the television industry. As yet, it is hard to determine to what extent the network activities may influence the direction and nature of future research or collaborations with industry and non-academic partners. Academic attendees at the On TV event focusing on children's television reported how innovative is was to bring industry speakers and academic together in the same event, allowing for much greater understanding of the varying styles and agendas of these two different groups. The particular timing of the event was also apposite, given the lobbying taking place about BBC funding, licence fee arrangements and cuts to the funding of children's television specifically. This meant that the industry speakers had a vested interest in communicating their side of the story to academics who might support such lobbying, and the value of public service television in the UK was acknowledged across both sectors. Informally, I have heard from academics attending that they have used some of the materials and/or contacts from the funded activities to enhance their current work. Particular areas of focus identified in the funded workshops that are now receiving increasing attention include diversity and inclusivity (both in terms of representation and employment); strategies for archiving television heritage in an environment of funding cuts to arts and culture; intellectual property and copyright issues. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Title | Directory of Television Studies Sources |
| Description | The AHRC funded Cult TV: TV Cultures network's Directory of Television Studies provides information about television archives within the UK, both digital and analogue; academic centres and networks relevant to television; academic experts (UK); research projects; festivals and conferences; industry research sources; museums; and organisations. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | As yet there are no quantifiable impacts. |