Chapter Five

1. How many cable channels do you watch regularly? What programs do you watch? What attracts you to a certain channel?

Growing up, I was a very fortunate kid. I had a television in my room when I was very young and was always allowed to watch TV very freely. I think that this caused me to become slightly immune to the hype of television as I got older, however, because now I rarely find myself sitting down to watch TV. On the occasion that I do sit down and watch, I don't have a specific channel that I'll immediately turn to. I might check out what's on the basic channels like CBS or ABC, and then I might see what's on CNN. Other than that, I'll just flip through until something catches my attention. I don't follow any specific show every week or every day, although I've seen and have enjoyed How I Met Your Mother, CSI, Big Brother, The Biggest Loser, AC360, and late night talk shows like Letterman. I'm attracted to stations and shows that can bring me the news, make me laugh, hold my attention and don't keep me waiting for what I want to see. Television shows like Lost would have only made me angry because I don't really like cliff hangers and I try not to get too invested in the plot of a TV show, which seemed to happen to many Lost fans.


2. If you controlled a cable public-access channel in your community, what would be your channel's goal? What could we do to make public-, or government-, or educational-access programming more appealing? Should we?

If I controlled my own cable public-access channel, I would probably focus on educating the community about the ways that technology will not only enhance our lives but also stimulate our economy and make us a competitive city that we once were, just like when furniture was our biggest export. Social media, social networking and the development and production of mass media merchandise have the potential to really move this area out of economic hardship and into profitable business. I think that the ways we could make public-, or government-, or educational-access programming more appealing would be to make the programs more visually appealing by including better graphics and set material in each program. I would also try to get current music to be played and for recognizable faces to appear on the station so that viewers could better relate. And I also think that it is very important for viewers to find our channel appealing because the goal of a channel being created is for people to watch it. If viewers can't stand to watch our channel, there won't be a purpose in having it anymore.

3. How could television be used to improve social and political life in the United States?

I think the simplest answer to this question is to say that television can be used to improve social and political life in the United States by informing our citizens. Television is such a popular form of mass media; almost everyone either has one or has access to one daily. It can be used for both good and bad, but either way you see it, it's still informative. By delivering the news to citizens, they can be better equipped to understand what's going on in politics as well as current events that will enhance their ability to function in society. The television provides people with the chance to have their voices heard and offers the chance for the public to understand several sides to the same story. Not only does it provide news but it also provides entertainment and information on a variety of topics not politically related that interest the viewer and make it possible for them to interact with others socially, while having an informed opinion on a broad area of topics. This makes for well rounded individuals and a more diverse population.