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For some X Factor parties aren't enough and seeing the show live is a necessity. I know of at least six people who will have traveled many miles down south just so they can experience a reality show in person.
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The locations of the most popular reality television studios-the things people will do for reality.
However as reality television swirls up a storm hit shows such as X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and I am celebrity... are generating a huge amount of attention this year and more often than not it is desperately controversial.
I laughed at a friend the other day who confessed that she, along with her boyfriend, voted six times on X Factor. This was because they usually watch it with her parents and two sisters but because said family were out they had to ensure they voted the same number of times as usual.
This friend is not alone-voting is important to most people-they believe that extra vote counts. When Laura White was voted out by the public dismayed fans demanded a recount. Viewers shook their heads in shock and threw their fingers down in anger as they logged online to join petition online.com They claimed the phone lines were too busy and they could not get through. Blogs and fan sites were bombarded with comments of outrage- one upset fan on contract music.com said:
"ITS SO WRONG THIS TALENTED SINGER WENT HOME THIS IS THE WRONG DECISION SHAME ON THE JUDGE WHO SENT HER HOME ITS THE JUDGE THAT SHOULD BE GOT RID OF..."Rewind to a few weeks ago-there was also outcry from the reality-show loving public this time concerning Ruth Lorenzo who's voting number was missing a digit-this was corrected immediately with an audio announcement. A statement from an X factor spokeswoman explained that this would not have affected the final outcome. (click here for Dipity timeline and more details)
Politicians and celebrities alike have become involved in the Laura debacle. Culture Secretary Andy Burnham on Question Time called Laura “wonderful and talented” and the decision to vote her out was “very harsh.”
After a week the issue umbrellared with an Offcom Spokeswoman announcing:
I can confirm we have received complaints. We are now looking at them against the broadcasting code,"
Although ITV have been know in the past to discard votes in programmes such as 'Ant and Dec's Saturday night Take Away should we not put the topic to bed? ITV were fined extortionate amounts of money which was a credit munching mistake that they will surely try desperately to avoid happening.
Viewers appear to be clutching at straw-like mistakes in a bid to drag back the rejected contestants. In a similar situation, last year's X factor final revealed underdog Leon Jackson to be the winner. Fans of Rhydian, the runner up, responded with accusations that Rhydian's line was engaged and they could not get through to vote. Is this the new vogue weapon whereby sore losers use faulty phone lines to soothe their anger and disappointment?
Pic-"cowbite" on Flcrk- http://www.flickr.com/people/cowbite/
Michael Williams from the Independent conducted a lecture at UCLAN today and the topic was broadcasting. John Sergeant's controversial exit from hit show Strictly Come Dancing was mentioned. As twinkle toes John opted out and packed up his dancing shoes fans quipped it was a fix and bombarded social networking sights with threats of substituting Strictly Come Dancing by watching X Factor instead. The BBC was shot with 170,000 fiery customer comments on its web message board-its only retort was to dodge the bullets and shut down the Strictly Come Dancing website temporarily.
Queensgate and Socksgate, further led to the BBC losing the viewers' trust due to misrepresentation of obscene pranks and lies.
Brandgate had the effect of encouraging the concept of IPT television (internet protocol television), or as Micheal Williams put it a "pix and mix" which is comparable to owning a Tesco club card-Google recognizes what you like by how you search. Tom Weiss, chief executive of TV Genius, questioned that"the end is nigh," for television when he explained the impossibility of watching shows that involve voting on the internet such as X factor.
At the moment, despite ITV and the BBC botching past polls, they do notnot reveal votes and spoil the anticipation. Weiss made the point in Media Week of saying:
Many of the most popular shows are impossible to watch on-demand,such as those with telephone voting-try going online without learning who has been evicted.
I took on board this challenge by attempting to view an unwatched version of America's Next Top Model on youtube, but, much to my horror, the videos were either next to spoiler videos such as "Whitney wins" or if I managed to miraculously avoid any giveaway in the video titles by squinting and blindly pressing the play button it only meant I (mistakenly) scrolled down too far to see the top comment on the list reading "Melrose so should have won.."
All the paths of controversy plead for the maintenance of censorship on reality television not its demise, but an enforcement of the rules of the game. It is better for fans and judges to accept the results. After all, because of previous disasters television companies are more likely than ever to admit the blunder before it is questioned to save further embarrassment.
Weiss explains in Media Week the hit of Saturday night television:
" people want to watch these television shows when everyone else is watching so they can share the experience and talk about it."
Just as I write this blog I am (newly) informed that my Mum's boyfriend is a fan of IPTV . I run down stairs to ask him why? Before he has time to reply it suddenly hits me-Weiss' point is proven- internet television encourages anti social communications within families. I live in a house where we all furiously type away on our lap tops, my mum writing copy for a magazine, me typing my blog, and he...well I never really thought about it until now...but obviously watching television. Without Saturday night reality television we would never watch anything together or in unison with the UK.
It is true the license fee would seize to exist with the death of television but we would become more like America and voting on shows would be a whole new experience with no where near the methodical control which enables us to (usually) glide through the viewing experience. Advertisements would float about fighting for our attention on our favorite shows. In his speech supporting the BBC and extra regulation on the media, Conservative MP,Jeremy Hunt, argues British television needs to be kept to this high standard: javascript:void(0
The needs of British people as citizens are arguably more richly served by broadcasters here than anywhere else in the world.
Television has made some big hiccups in the past but it is run by human beings who make mistakes and it is still more preferable to cyber technology despite this. Could stricter limitations on television repair past damage and re-enforce trust?
As Hunt reiterated to the Guardian-in return for "lighter touch" regulation a Conservative government would expect broadcasters to "abide with agreed codes for socially responsible broadcasting."
I have not written for a bit...but do not fear fellow bloggers reality television continues without me....`
Are you a radio four fan? A few days ago there was this exact same conversation about on the insightful show about laws regarding television in the US and the adverts which constantly dominate their screens. On the radio they raised a good point-if advertisers in england get permission to run pop up adverts during our shows many people wont actually watch television-so the advertisers lose viewers if anything. The introduction of SKy Plus means adverts can be eliminated altogether by pre-recording and fast forwarding.
However the pesky advertisers are not only infiltrating our lives throughout favourite shows but now, sneakily, through popular films. James Bond's Quantum of Solace was reported to have earned vast amounts form product placement. With a new airline providing planes for the crew. DIe another day was nicknamed Buy another day for the same reason!
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