http://members.iinet.net.au/~amcyuen/jb/pics/G32.jpg
http://www.onlyolivia.com/visual/tv/00/02/kerri/kerri8.jpg
http://seven.com.au/catalogueFiles/sunrise/graphics/gr_smstv_livepoll.jpg
Lifestyle entertainment shows have become a vital part of daily broadcasting. Shows such as Network Ten’s “Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton�, channel Nine’s “Mornings with Kerri-Anne�, and channel Seven’s “Sunrise� provide their audiences with news, current events, competitions, interviews with special guests, and above all an entertaining experience.
Commonly, these morning shows and many other similar lifestyle programs cater to an older target audience with their content and with their level of interactivity. However, this level is slowly evolving and becoming more advanced.
One of the primary audience-based elements of these programs is feedback and participation. This can be in the form of competitions, opinion polls or fact sheets which the viewer can request for more information on segments that have been shown. Traditionally these forms of interactivity would have been actioned by mail, and viewers would have to post their competition requirements, letters and requests in writing.
For some shows this is still the case. For others, they are slowly moving into a realm of technological advancement, making use of email, SMS and the Internet.
“Good Morning Australia� still primarily uses ‘snail mail’ for viewers to submit entries for various segments, such as “Patti’s Hearts and Heroes� and “Can We Help?�. Fact sheets and recipes were formerly only available by mail but are now available via the GMA link on the Network Ten home page. The show also makes lesser use of email, and still phone call contributions.
Fact Sheets for “Mornings with Kerri-Anne� are still only available via phone request, however story ideas and your say contributions can be made via email.
“Sunrise� makes a greater use of online contributions, with a majority of feedback made via email, and all recipes and fact sheets available on the website.
The limitations of the level of technology that is utilized by such programs can be put down to the demographic of their target audience. As technology is perceived to be for ‘the young’, and many people are likened to the idea that ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’, these shows tend towards more traditional methods of communication and interaction, as they are most likely to be the most comfortable forms for those members of their target audience and frequent viewers. Programs like “GMA� and “Mornings� tend to have a target audience of over 45 years, and therefore need to consider the level of technical experience of their older viewers who may want to contribute to the show. However, shows such as “Sunrise� while having a target audience of similar age, tend to cater towards more business-minded and educated viewers who tend to be more adept in the ways of new technologies.
While these shows may continue to broaden their technological horizons, for some time to come there will still be a demand for more traditional methods of communication and interaction between television program and viewer.
References
Network Ten (2004)"GMA with Bert Newton", accessed 26 October 2004, from
http://www.ten.com.au/main_idx.aspx?section=about
Mornings (2004)"Mornings with Kerri-Anne", accessed 26 October 2004 from http://sites.ninemsn.com.au/minisite/Mornings/default.asp
Sunrise on Seven (2004) "Sunrise", accessed 26 October 2004, from http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/home
Other Related Topics: Personal Video Recorders (PVR), TiVo, Big Brother, Idol, Reality TV and its use of SMS, Reality TV and its use of the Internet, Foxtel Digital, Internet TV, Mobile Video Phones
Return to Interactive_TV
Kassie-Lee Goodman 01:59, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
