Heineken (PRO)I’d like to applaud my opponent for joining me in debating a topic that was revealed to us only after we had been locked into the debate.
The burden established seeks to define a justification or refutation of the idea that local content ought to be aired in regulated quotas.
Definitions [1]:
- Network Stations – “A connecting system which allows simultaneous telecasting of a single origination by a number of stations.” (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW, CNN, TBS, BBC, HBO, etc.)
- Owned and Operated (O&O) station – “A television station that is owned by the network with which it is associated.”
- Network-affiliated station – “Local television stations affiliated with one of the four major national broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.”
- Affiliate – “A TV station, not owned by a network, that grants a network use of specific time periods for network programs and advertising, for compensation. Remainder of broadcast day is programmed locally.”
- Independent Station – “Stations not affiliated with any network; usually refers to commercial stations only.”
- Nielsen Media Research (NMR) – “A firm involved in local and national measurement of the TV audience; also involved in other research activities.”
Opening Arguments:
[P1] Free Market response - The Nielsen Media Research firm is the gauge by which the market success of a television program is measured. The entire television entertainment industry is driven by viewer ratings and so it’s you (the viewer) who ultimately decides what programs stay on the air and which programs get cancelled.
The rating system also provides a baseline value for market interest. If a local TV company want to produce a television show about the production of Porcelain in Mexico, it will not find many TV networks that are willing to provide a timeslot for such a show. Viewer interests simply evolve around other topics and genres.
Therefore, the TV Network must consider production quality (how well is it made?), genre desirability (How did other similar productions rank?) and profitability (Is the production worth the time-slot, or could the time-slot be filled with more popular and established programs)?
Conclusion: In a free-market environment, where the dollar counts as a vote, the vast majority of viewers vote to watch high quality, well established, Hollywood industry productions. Forcing television stations to feature more local programming would result in a loss of liberty for the customers, who vote for their desired programming with their dollars (where they spend their money) and their viewing habits (which shows and timeslots occupy their TV habits).
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[P2] Self-regulating Industry – The TV networks are owned and operated by Corporations. These media companies have responsibilities to their employees, their customers, their share-holders and their mission. In a free-enterprise system, these companies must be allowed to self-regulate. They must be allowed to establish their own restrictions and quotas for television production.
If Local television producers wish to establish their TV shows, they can always appeal to public broadcasting, which is free to anyone with an antenna and a television set.
Conclusion – A dedicated television broadcasting network already exists, funded by public support, that allows the production and presentation of local television. These networks are free to access (require no subscription fee) and anyone can purchase air-time for relatively cheap prices. In some cases, producers can compete for free timeslots, such as the PBS Independent Lens program. [2]
References:
[1] – Local TV Glossary - http://stateofthemedia.org/2013/local-tv-audience-declines-as-revenue-bounces-back/local-tv-glossary/
[2] – PBS - http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/about/submissions.html
Return To Top | Posted:
2013-11-21 04:25:10
| Speak Round
cowboy0108 (CON)Round Forfeited
Return To Top | Posted:
2013-11-23 04:26:01
| Speak Round