Panel discussion on television flow at MIT

A panel discussion on international television program flows in March of this year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was recorded as part of the Communications Forum Series of the Comparative Media Studies Program. The event, Global Television, can be accessed in audio or podcast.

Abstract:
A salient feature of contemporary TV has been the appearance of programs that appeal more widely across national boundaries than many earlier television shows. Examples include a range of reality shows such as Big Brother or Survivor as well as fiction series such as Ugly Betty, which undergo relatively small facelifts before being introduced to new audiences. And many American programs -- e.g., Lost, Desperate Housewives -- travel abroad with no alterations, as country-specific promotion and distribution strategies adjust them to their new national contexts. In this forum, three distinguished media scholars will discuss the origins and significance of the international distribution of television formats and programs.

MODERATOR:
David Thorburn, MIT Professor of Literature, MacVicar Faculty Fellow, Director, MIT Communications Forum
PANELISTS: William C. Uricchio, Co-Director, Comparative Media Studies Program and Professor of Comparative Media Studies, MIT
Roberta Pearson, Professor of Film Studies, School of American & Canadian Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Nottingham
Eggo Müller, Visiting Professor, Department of Screen Arts and Cultures, University of Michigan