Spreadable Media: Creating Meaning and Value in a Networked Culture, the new book by Henry Jenkins, Sam Ford, and Joshua Green, will appear from New York University Press in Fall 2012. The core concept of "spreadable media" will be a central topic of discussion at this year's Futures of Entertainment conference to be held at MIT on November 11-12, 2011. Futures of Entertainment is an event where top thinkers from academia, industry, policy, and journalism gather to talk about cutting edge issues which will impact what happens next in arts and entertainment. Here's where you can go to register for this year's event. The following is an excerpt from their upcoming book.
- 9/26/2011
- TribecaFilm.com
Felicity Huffman excited about Desperate Housewives and the impact of Tom's moving out on Lynette. Chandra Wilson will direct Grey's third episode of the new season. The Glee Project is likely to be renewed. The Good Wife has a sexy new ad. Mad Men's January Jones writes about sharks during Shark Week. Grant Show is getting divorced. John Corbett returning to Parenthood for a "very complex triangle." Days incorporating mini-plots.
Chandra Wilson to Direct Another Episode of Grey's Anatomy
Wilson will direct the third episode of this season, which features several of the fifth-year residents doing their first solo surgeries.
Desperate Housewives' Felicity Huffman on Lynette's Transformation
"What's great about this year," she says, "is that Tom rises up and says, 'No more.' I respect his decision, and I think it will finally force Lynette to truly change how she is in the world and in her marriage.
Chandra Wilson to Direct Another Episode of Grey's Anatomy
Wilson will direct the third episode of this season, which features several of the fifth-year residents doing their first solo surgeries.
Desperate Housewives' Felicity Huffman on Lynette's Transformation
"What's great about this year," she says, "is that Tom rises up and says, 'No more.' I respect his decision, and I think it will finally force Lynette to truly change how she is in the world and in her marriage.
- 8/2/2011
- by We Love Soaps TV
- We Love Soaps
'Jackass' star killed in car crash stayed 'real,' say patrons of the Pennsylvania bar where he was last seen.
By Mary J. Dimeglio
Ryan Dunn
Photo: Getty Images
West Chester, Pennsylvania — In Ryan Dunn's adopted hometown, the "Jackass" star is remembered, not for his celebrity status, but rather for his ability to remain modest despite living in the limelight.
When MTV News visited Barnaby's of America in West Chester's quaint downtown business district — the last place Dunn was seen before his fatal car crash early Monday morning — the bar's patrons praised the fallen daredevil for never letting fame go to his head.
As TVs showed a Phillies game and a guitarist strummed acoustic renditions of tunes ranging from Arcade Fire to Britney Spears, customers shared their memories of a neighbor who seemingly everyone in town had the chance to meet.
"He was real," said Sam Ford,...
By Mary J. Dimeglio
Ryan Dunn
Photo: Getty Images
West Chester, Pennsylvania — In Ryan Dunn's adopted hometown, the "Jackass" star is remembered, not for his celebrity status, but rather for his ability to remain modest despite living in the limelight.
When MTV News visited Barnaby's of America in West Chester's quaint downtown business district — the last place Dunn was seen before his fatal car crash early Monday morning — the bar's patrons praised the fallen daredevil for never letting fame go to his head.
As TVs showed a Phillies game and a guitarist strummed acoustic renditions of tunes ranging from Arcade Fire to Britney Spears, customers shared their memories of a neighbor who seemingly everyone in town had the chance to meet.
"He was real," said Sam Ford,...
- 6/22/2011
- MTV Music News
Real Soap Opera: Why America Hates Breaking Up With Erica Kane
A survey that measured the effect of the television writers' strike of 2007-08, when many shows went off the air or were replaced by reruns, on college-age viewers may offer some insight into the psychological effects of this latest disruption to TV watchers' routines.
Soap Operas: Can They Survive?
Experts have come up with plenty of explanations as the why soap audiences have declined, and the first is simply sociological. "The old model of soap opera was built around an ideal viewer who no longer exists: the bored housewife," said Abigail De Kosnik, co-editor of "The Survival of the Soap Opera." "But since the 1950s, women have entered the workplace in droves. There are stay-at-home moms, but they are wealthier, and they regard their ability to dedicate themselves to their family's domestic concerns to be a privilege, even a marker of status.
A survey that measured the effect of the television writers' strike of 2007-08, when many shows went off the air or were replaced by reruns, on college-age viewers may offer some insight into the psychological effects of this latest disruption to TV watchers' routines.
Soap Operas: Can They Survive?
Experts have come up with plenty of explanations as the why soap audiences have declined, and the first is simply sociological. "The old model of soap opera was built around an ideal viewer who no longer exists: the bored housewife," said Abigail De Kosnik, co-editor of "The Survival of the Soap Opera." "But since the 1950s, women have entered the workplace in droves. There are stay-at-home moms, but they are wealthier, and they regard their ability to dedicate themselves to their family's domestic concerns to be a privilege, even a marker of status.
- 4/19/2011
- by We Love Soaps TV
- We Love Soaps
Getty Susan Lucci who plays Erica Kane on “All My Children”
And then there were four….. Let’s raise our glasses to “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” stalwarts of ABC’s daytime lineup for the past four decades whose long-rumored cancellation was formally announced this week.
From an all-time high of 19 soap operas airing in 1969/1970, the only ones left standing are ratings-leader “The Young and the Restless” (CBS) along with “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS), “General Hospital...
And then there were four….. Let’s raise our glasses to “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” stalwarts of ABC’s daytime lineup for the past four decades whose long-rumored cancellation was formally announced this week.
From an all-time high of 19 soap operas airing in 1969/1970, the only ones left standing are ratings-leader “The Young and the Restless” (CBS) along with “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS), “General Hospital...
- 4/16/2011
- by C. Lee Harrington
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Will a cable net rescue the canceled ABC soaps? (Sound: crickets)
Though an insider acknowledged that ABC-Disney would certainly field offers for the 41-year-old AMC and/or the 43-year-old One Life to Live, it’s unlikely that any cable network would have the cash to make it work. The Oprah Winfrey Network is out (no matter how much it could use a headline-grabbing stunt like this to boost its ratings). And its doubtful any other female-friendly web could pony up the cash to keep Susan Lucci on the payroll.
Closing the Book on Soaps
Sam Ford writes: "On the one hand, one can hardly blame the networks. Soap opera ratings have falling for decades and have been in particularly troubling shape over the past 15 years at least. Meanwhile, formats like reality television shows have shown growing viability, sometimes on particularly lean budgets."
Josh Duhamel on the end of All My Children...
Though an insider acknowledged that ABC-Disney would certainly field offers for the 41-year-old AMC and/or the 43-year-old One Life to Live, it’s unlikely that any cable network would have the cash to make it work. The Oprah Winfrey Network is out (no matter how much it could use a headline-grabbing stunt like this to boost its ratings). And its doubtful any other female-friendly web could pony up the cash to keep Susan Lucci on the payroll.
Closing the Book on Soaps
Sam Ford writes: "On the one hand, one can hardly blame the networks. Soap opera ratings have falling for decades and have been in particularly troubling shape over the past 15 years at least. Meanwhile, formats like reality television shows have shown growing viability, sometimes on particularly lean budgets."
Josh Duhamel on the end of All My Children...
- 4/15/2011
- by We Love Soaps TV
- We Love Soaps
"All My Children" is hanging on for dear life.
After moving the entire production from New York to Los Angeles to save money, publicly cutting the paycheck of its most well-known star, and eliminating long-time cast members, the show still remains on the chopping block. What's a classic show to do?
Bobbie Eakes, a cast member on the show, has been feverishly tweeting polls and petitions directed at ABC executives. "AMC is not being cancelled! But now is a great time to let the network know you'd like to keep it that way," she tweeted, adding a smiley emoticon for good measure.
If ABC followed through with its cancellation, "All My Children" would join a long line of recent soap opera casualties. "Guiding Light," which premiered on CBS in 1952 after fifteen years on the radio, was cancelled in 2009, and "As the World Turns" followed in September 2010, airing the last episode of its 54-year run.
After moving the entire production from New York to Los Angeles to save money, publicly cutting the paycheck of its most well-known star, and eliminating long-time cast members, the show still remains on the chopping block. What's a classic show to do?
Bobbie Eakes, a cast member on the show, has been feverishly tweeting polls and petitions directed at ABC executives. "AMC is not being cancelled! But now is a great time to let the network know you'd like to keep it that way," she tweeted, adding a smiley emoticon for good measure.
If ABC followed through with its cancellation, "All My Children" would join a long line of recent soap opera casualties. "Guiding Light," which premiered on CBS in 1952 after fifteen years on the radio, was cancelled in 2009, and "As the World Turns" followed in September 2010, airing the last episode of its 54-year run.
- 4/8/2011
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
The Survival of Soap Opera: Transformations for a New Media Era" is now available at Amazon.com. Edited by Sam Ford, Abigail De Kosnik and C. Lee Harrington, the academic book, from University Press of Mississippi, is officially out on December 1.
The soap opera, one of U.S. television's longest-running and most influential formats, is on the brink. Declining ratings have been attributed to an increasing number of women working outside the home and to an intensifying competition for viewers' attention from cable and the Internet. Yet, soaps' influence has expanded, with serial narratives becoming commonplace on most prime time TV programs. "The Survival of Soap Opera" investigates the causes of their dwindling popularity, describes their impact on TV and new media culture, and gleans lessons from their complex history for twenty-first-century media industries.I contributed an essay to this book entitled "As The World Turns' Luke and Noah and Fan Activism.
The soap opera, one of U.S. television's longest-running and most influential formats, is on the brink. Declining ratings have been attributed to an increasing number of women working outside the home and to an intensifying competition for viewers' attention from cable and the Internet. Yet, soaps' influence has expanded, with serial narratives becoming commonplace on most prime time TV programs. "The Survival of Soap Opera" investigates the causes of their dwindling popularity, describes their impact on TV and new media culture, and gleans lessons from their complex history for twenty-first-century media industries.I contributed an essay to this book entitled "As The World Turns' Luke and Noah and Fan Activism.
- 11/19/2010
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Can you say "branding?" There. I knew ya could.
As my little girl grows up and gets interested in television and "brands" that appeal to her, I can't help but think of those of my own early childhood. The brand she is exposed to the most is Sesame Street: It started with her diapers, moved into plush animals, and has manifested into a full-blown television love, fueled by the show's release of a "Best of..." of its first 40 years on the air.
For me, Sesame Street existed right alongside one of the most revered figures in television history: Fred Rogers. I haven't gotten Ms. Emma Belle any Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood DVDs lined up yet, primarily because there's very little available. (There's a petition circulating with almost 2,000 signatures to get the DVDs released.) However, I have caught some episodes in re-run. And I've been giving a lot of thought to the lessons Mr.
As my little girl grows up and gets interested in television and "brands" that appeal to her, I can't help but think of those of my own early childhood. The brand she is exposed to the most is Sesame Street: It started with her diapers, moved into plush animals, and has manifested into a full-blown television love, fueled by the show's release of a "Best of..." of its first 40 years on the air.
For me, Sesame Street existed right alongside one of the most revered figures in television history: Fred Rogers. I haven't gotten Ms. Emma Belle any Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood DVDs lined up yet, primarily because there's very little available. (There's a petition circulating with almost 2,000 signatures to get the DVDs released.) However, I have caught some episodes in re-run. And I've been giving a lot of thought to the lessons Mr.
- 10/1/2010
- by Sam Ford
- Fast Company
Recently, writing about the death of the incomparable Capt. Lou Albano, journalist Phil Reisman with The Journal News wrote: "Somebody once said that to understand America, you have to understand pro wrestling." If you're looking for the quote, it's inexplicably now removed from his story. Maybe his editor didn't agree with that statement from "somebody," but Phil thought it sounded about right, and I concur.
If we buy into the fact that corporate America needs to understand popular culture to really be able to relate to its audiences and communicate effectively--Grant McCracken's idea of the "chief culture officer" that I wrote about last week--then what better place to start than pro wrestling? It's very existence feels like an anomaly, with fans loading arenas by the thousands and gathering around television sets by the millions to watch (primarily) men performing the illusion of one-on-one sporting competition, while most fans know that...
If we buy into the fact that corporate America needs to understand popular culture to really be able to relate to its audiences and communicate effectively--Grant McCracken's idea of the "chief culture officer" that I wrote about last week--then what better place to start than pro wrestling? It's very existence feels like an anomaly, with fans loading arenas by the thousands and gathering around television sets by the millions to watch (primarily) men performing the illusion of one-on-one sporting competition, while most fans know that...
- 10/28/2009
- by Sam Ford
- Fast Company
With so many companies in the past few years talking about producing online video and other forms of "branded entertainment," I'm amazed by how people often talk about these trends as if they are new. Radio and early television was full of "product placement" and shows produced directly through the subsidy of major brands, such as The Philco Playhouse and Texaco Star Theater. Nowhere has this trend taken greater hold than the soap opera, where the blend of art and commerce is clear from the very title given to the shows. From their early 1930s radio debut and through the "golden era" of broadcast television, soap operas were the consistent daytime juggernaut that fueled experimentation in primetime.
Today, only one soap company remains in the "soap opera" game in that sense, as Procter & Gamble still funds the production of CBS' As the World Turns. However, brands are launching new Web...
Today, only one soap company remains in the "soap opera" game in that sense, as Procter & Gamble still funds the production of CBS' As the World Turns. However, brands are launching new Web...
- 10/27/2009
- by Sam Ford
- Fast Company
With so many companies in the past few years talking about producing online video and other forms of "branded entertainment," I'm amazed by how people often talk about these trends as if they are new. Radio and early television was full of "product placement" and shows produced directly through the subsidy of major brands, such as The Philco Playhouse and Texaco Star Theater. Nowhere has this trend taken greater hold than the soap opera, where the blend of art and commerce is clear from the very title given to the shows. From their early 1930s radio debut and through the "golden era" of broadcast television, soap operas were the consistent daytime juggernaut that fueled experimentation in primetime.
Today, only one soap company remains in the "soap opera" game in that sense, as Procter & Gamble still funds the production of CBS' As the World Turns. However, brands are launching new Web...
Today, only one soap company remains in the "soap opera" game in that sense, as Procter & Gamble still funds the production of CBS' As the World Turns. However, brands are launching new Web...
- 10/27/2009
- by Sam Ford
- Fast Company
Two-and-a-half years ago, when I was writing regularly for the MIT Convergence Culture Consortium blog, I received word that Xerox was launching a new online video series. In the title, their press release touted, "Xerox Launches Its First Ever Viral As Part Of new Multimillion Pound Marketing Campaign." It has regularly become my starting point for talking about how distorted the concept of "viral marketing" has become.
To be fair, the Xerox video series was innovative in its goal of creating a fun way to engage with a B2B audience. However, bragging about the "viral" success of a video a company is launching at its outset, and doing so in a press release above all else, was an illustration of the overenthusiastic adoption of the phrase, "We want something to go viral."
In 2009, I'd like to say we've all been inoculated from taking the viral metaphor to its extreme,...
To be fair, the Xerox video series was innovative in its goal of creating a fun way to engage with a B2B audience. However, bragging about the "viral" success of a video a company is launching at its outset, and doing so in a press release above all else, was an illustration of the overenthusiastic adoption of the phrase, "We want something to go viral."
In 2009, I'd like to say we've all been inoculated from taking the viral metaphor to its extreme,...
- 10/22/2009
- by Sam Ford
- Fast Company
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