TELEVISION CULTURE: The Role of Advertisement

World is change rapidly from one era to another and as a human, we tend to respond to change in order not to leave behind. Shadowing the change of world, we mug up the newest information from many media. Media is as vary as information, such as printing press and communication technology. Some people, perhaps, choose printing press-newspaper and magazine- more than radio or television. But, it can not be denied that the most important invention in communication technology, now, is television. Television affects the way people think and behave. People do not only watch television to search for any information, but also to self-entertain.

Fiske has a notion that television uses the main codes. The codes are the rule-governed system of signs, the links between producers, texts, and audiences, and the agents of intertextuality through which texts interrelate in a network of meanings that constitutes our cultural world. This code makes what it presents in television encoded. The codes are purposed to attract the audiences as much as possible.

The multiple profits got by TV stations because of its audiences. In America, the profit of television industry increases every year. In 2002, the profit is about $58 billion. Questions in people’s mind have been around, “Where do the TV stations get the income from?” The source-income of TV stations can be varied. Besides the programming, according to what is written in The Dynamics of Mass Communication, TV stations sell the so called commercial time by network, local stations, and cable systems to advertisers.

The commercial time is specified, usually it is in the form of minutes per hour that will be offered to advertisers. The prize charged by the station depends on the amount of audiences. If the audience is larger, the prize will be more expensive. Joseph R. Dominick stated:

Shows with high ratings have higher advertising charges than shows with low ratings. For example, in 2002, the average network 30-second spot in prime time cost about $180,000. On top-rated shows, spots were going for about $450,000; on lower-rated shows, the cost was about $85,000 (2005: 272).

From the quote above, we can see that TV stations and advertisers have the profitable relationship. The next question is, “Why do the advertisers place the advertisement in TV?”

Based on fact, audiences, definitely, see the commercials or advertisings in television. The advertisers are sure that audiences are more interested to see the advertisements in television than just listen to it from the radio. In this case, audiences are placed as the consumers and consumers are the appropriate objects to sell the products. On the other hand, the audiences are not always the object of advertisers. Sometimes, they also, intentionally, search for the products they want in television. For example, if they want to look for the new house for living, they will find one which is televised in commercial time. They do not need to go around the town or out of the town looking for it. In this case, audiences and advertisers need one another.

Unsuspected, there are some complaints about advertising. Just like what Baran wrote about the specific complaints for advertising that it is deceptive. The reason is that, advertisings often promise improving someone’s life by consuming or purchasing the product. For example, the products of cosmetics always use the perfect woman as a model to attract the audiences. The tendency of cosmetics advertising is giving promise that women will look more beautiful after using the products. The whole thing is unreal. Another complaint is that advertising is intrusive. The time of watching the programs in television decrease because of some advertisings.

Even so, the advertisers argue that advertising supports the economic system of certain country. Without advertising, the new products will not be able to introduced and announced to others whom need it. If so, the products will not be bought. Advertising is purposed to introduce the special quality of the products before trading it to the consumers. Advertising is also purposed to attract consumers’ belief so they will ensure that they do not choose the failed products.

Advertisings bring the ideological code to the audiences seeing it. The code is economic. In the code of economic, advertisers purposes to get as many consumers as possible. If many consumers are interested in the products, the advertisers and businessmen will get their profit. For the TV stations, their sale of a number of minutes per hour is considerable value. Every minute or, even, every second of commercial time is money.

Written on  June, 2010

'Cultural Studies'