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The Power of Subliminal Programming: How TV Changes Our Behavior

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By: Tiffany Vogt

After a recent episode of BONES, I noticed for the first time how easy it is for television to influence our personal lives. In this particular episode, Dr. Temperance Brennan was chastising Booth for failing to put the toilet seat cover down. After her detailed, if not repulsive rationale, Booth was prompted to buy new toothbrushes for himself and his new girlfriend. Maybe it was only meant to be a funny reminder of how when one enters a relationship, one needs to alter some of their bachelor ways; but it was a vivid reminder of how the rest of us need to be more aware of our environments. I know I immediately tossed my old toothbrush and bought a new one which I now keep in a drawer and not in a container next to the sink. BONES actually got me to rush out and buy something I had not thought to replace. How often can we say that a TV show had such an immediate effect on us?
 
It was upon further reflection that I began to think back over my buying habits and how they have changed; and for the first time I noticed how subconsciously I had altered my personal behavior in direct response to what I was watching on television. In fact, over the years, many of television shows have had a subtle, subconscious influence on what I buy.
 
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Q: Has the Golden Era of Television Abandoned Us? (A: No, You just need to know where to look!)

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By: Tiffany Vogt

 
It has been said that the past decade of television has offered the best shows ever. Television quality had reached such a degree that it was said to have surpassed the quality of films. Shows such as THE WEST WING, LOST, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, VERONICA MARS and DEADWOOD were hailed as examples of which television was producing award-winning caliber shows outshining its theatrical counterparts. Yet these days, all those incredible shows are gone.
 
Can what remains on television today compete with what is being offered at the box office? If I want to see brilliant comedy, there is Easy A. If I want a gripping, explosive drama, there is The Town. If I want to experience Aaron Sorkin’s biting, satirical dialogue, there is The Social Network. If I want to be haunted by a sci-fi, dystopian future, there is Never Let Me Go. If I am looking for a thoughtful, yet funny historical film, I go see The King’s Speech. And if I am looking for fun family fare, I go see Secretariat. All of these films easily outshine what is on television today.
 
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Dreaming of Giant Pumpkins: A Television Viewer’s Search for Comfort TV

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By: Tiffany Vogt

 
In today’s wasteland of television shows, there is so little that holds our attention. We see shows that offer dancing and singing, car chases and explosions, and scantily clad men and women. But really, as we all flip the channels, we are looking for the same thing. We want to see something that will capture our imaginations, if but for a little while. For some that may be sports, singing, comedy or drama. But whatever that magic ingredient is, it is elusive.
 
Tuesday nights may be the best example of how hard it is to find just a bit of magic on television. The competition is fierce. There is a vast array of shows to choose from. Yet to the studios’ horror, so many of us are sampling shows and then simply turning the channel — or worse yet, not even turning our televisions on.
 
We live in the era of DVR’s — and appointment television is simply a thing of the past. We are no longer captive by the programming schedule and forced to choose between competing shows. Instead, we set our DVR’s on season pass and let the shows record so that we can pick and choose at our leisure what we want to watch. It is a programmer’s nightmare. The audience is choosing what they want to watch and when – which means less advertising dollars as the live-ratings continue to drop and DVR-viewing numbers go up.
 
But even with the luxury of recording multiple shows at once, the American television audience is simply being picky about what they are willing to watch. The 8 o’clock hour on Tuesday nights should be a three-way battle between NCIS, GLEE, NO ORDINARY FAMILY. Instead, astoundingly, viewers are looking to see what else is on and watching shows that most of us may or may not have heard of: UNNATURAL HISTORY, TOWER PREP, MELISSA & JOEY, IRON CHEF, BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR and DIRTY JOBS.
 
With NCIS pulling in some of the highest ratings of any scripted show on television (over 20 million viewers last week) and GLEE also drawing its highest ratings (nearly 12 million viewers), it is inconceivable that there is much more of an audience to sustain the competing shows. Yet there is. The silent mass that perhaps does not turn their TV on is sampling and sticking with shows like MELISSA & JOEY which continued to gain in viewers through its first season. Cartoon Network is also gaining traction with its successful foray into scripted primetime with its young adult series UNNATURAL HISTORY and TOWER PREP.
 
So what are people tuning in for? What is drawing them to tune in at record numbers for the 8 o’clock timeslot on Tuesday nights, but not for any other night of the week?
 
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