Lecture 6: Commercial Media- The Good, The Bad and The Inevitable

I have admitted previously that I am a self-proclaimed TV addict. However, one aspect of this media has made leisurely viewing impossible... Commercial Media. For those of you who are not certain of what exactly this is, don’t feel bad, I wasn’t 100% sure either.

In Lecture 6 of the JOUR1111 course, we were taught exactly why TV is becoming a more disrupted form of entertainment. Commercial media is driven purely from the profit it gains from advertising during programs. The media form is not government funded and, as such, it strives to generate large audiences to increase profit. 

Image sourced from: http://prdisasters.com/?tag=commercial-media

We were shown different examples of how such organizations are dominating the market. However, commercial media is not all about TV advertisements. Commercial media consists of TV networks, magazines, newspapers and even radio stations. We asked the question as to whether commercial media could deliver on both commercial (profit) and social (‘public trust’) functions; or whether commercial media is simply all about the profit. We were told that commercial media does in fact abide by certain formal requirements to guarantee commercial-social functions.     

One surprising quote about the style of commercial media, from John McManus in 1994, read:

“Commercial= corrupt; lack of quality; profit over-rides social responsibility.”

While at first I felt this was a harsh comment, I suppose it does depict a certain level of truth. How can audiences trust this communication field when media can be seen as corrupt? Tabloids are a form of commercial media which often seems to exaggerate certain details in stories to appeal to audiences. While this is probably an effective marketing technique, it does not necessarily gain the trust of viewers. 

Image sourced from: http://gawker.com/tabloid-reality-index/

 

Commercial Media may seem to be a dominant and stable industry; however, we were shown how there are some challenges which face the media form. One example illustrated what would happen if advertising revenue for broadcast media declined. The repercussions for commercial media included: loss of revenue = less investment = less money for quality production = more bought-in content (less original) = more repeats of US sitcoms, more reality TV. This domino effect would impact the way in which we watch television and would in fact be detrimental to communication and media as a whole. So, while commercial media does present many flaws; without it, our diverse viewing opportunity and accessibility of TV programming would not exist or would be hindered.  

 Image sourced from: http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/Gullible_133907

Solutions have been considered which aim to protect commercial media from the many challenges it faces. Suggestions include implementing the policy that quality within the market would ensure better, bigger and greater content. It is assumed that, consumers would be willing to pay more for quality media and, as a consumer of commercial media, I would definitely agree. Experts describe how greater competition within the market would force certain networks to “lift their game”, again ensuring that consumers are provided with quality media. As the world continues to move closer to digital media forms, it seems that this could also benefit the future of commercial media.     

So, while no-one enjoys being torn away from their captivating program to an advertisement; without commercial media and advertising revenue, our TV viewing quality wouldn’t be the same.