Introduction
Television stations present various types of shows ranging from talk shows, comedies, drama series, movies, news and documentaries. Television stations play a major role in shaping the opinion of the public (Barnlund, 2008). To effectively capture the targeted viewers, several factors have to be considered by the television stations.
Some of the factors considered by the television stations before setting up shows include the time when the shows will be aired. Different times of the day attract different types of viewers. Other factors that the television stations consider include the setup of the studios or the show rooms, the characters that will participate in the shows and the kinds of languages to be used in the shows.
The purpose of this study is to generally analyze the types of features used in different television shows. The study will also highlight the relevance of the physical set up of a show room in regard to the image the show wants to portray to its audience.
The study will also examine the use of language in different television shows. Comparing and contrasting the Power Breakfast Show with Tyra Bank’s Show Power Breakfast is a talk show. It is hosted by a local national television station. It is aired live every morning from Monday to Friday starting from 6.00a.m to 6.00p.m. It is hosted by two presenters.
The dress code of the presenters is formal. The background color of the show room is dark orange, with a light orange shade effect on the two corners of each wall. These color combinations bring about warm and smooth effects in the show room. On one of the walls is the show’s logo which is a mug of hot coffee placed on a saucer with a spoon beside it.
Next to the logo are some decorations which comprise three stripes of different colors which are light yellow, dark red and brown. The said colors are well blended to form a beautiful background of the tea mug.
Other physical things found in the showroom are two brown executive leather sofa sets and a coffee table made of glass placed in front of the two seats. The room is well lit with small and executive wall bulbs. The entire floor is covered with a nice brown carpet.
The show starts with the review of the two most read daily newspapers in the country. The presenters usually perform in depth analyses of the major headlines of the newspapers. After the review, the viewers are asked to participate in an interactive session whose major theme is usually a key issue highlighted by either of the newspapers under analysis.
The viewers are requested to respond to the theme by giving their comments and opinions by way of sending text messages through their mobile phones. Selected comments and opinions of some of the viewers are read out to the general viewers towards the end of the show.
The next part of the show is a session between the presenters and guests who are normally politicians. With the anticipated presidential elections, the agendas of the planned shows are usually about the presidential elections.
Being a morning show, the interior decorations are valid for the show. The show’s logo says it all. The colors are inviting and welcoming to the viewers. The furniture too is ideal for a morning show as it sets the mood of relaxation. This is quite ideal for the invited guests. This creates a comfortable and conducive environment for the show. The presenters are lively.
They officially welcome the guests to the show with warm handshakes. The presenters make short introductory comments about the guests and the topic of the show. The presenters set the direction of the show by asking relevant questions to the guests in a systematic way.
The guests thank the hosts for the invitation to the program. The guests answer each of the questions asked. At the end of the show, the presenters thank both the viewers and the guests for participating. The guests give some closing remarks and thank the viewers and the hosts.
On the other hand, the Tyra Bank’s Show is a national talk show that interviews public figures, celebrities and models. The aim of the show is to bring into the limelight the life styles of newsmakers. The host is dressed in nice casual wear. The show has an audience that is seated in one side of the room and on the other side is the show’s host presenter.
There is glamorous looking furniture for the host and for the invited guest. The walls are coated with alluring colors. The floor is fitted with fascinating floor tiles that seem to blend well with the wall colors. The audience is very excited. The host welcomes the guest not only by a warm handshake but also with a hug. As the guest walks into the show room, the audience applauds him.
After waving to the audience for a short while, he is invited to take a seat and is offered a drink. The talk show begins by the host welcoming the guest. The guest is then asked to introduce himself to the audience and the viewers by giving them a brief history of his life. The interview continues with the presenter dictating the momentum of the show. At some point, the audience is given a chance to ask the guest a few questions.
This is the tricky part of the show for the presenter has to intervene in some of the questions asked. At the end of the show, the presenter thanks the guest, audience and the viewers. The guest is invited to make some closing remarks. The show ends with the excited audience applauding the host and the guest.
The host and the guest are seen walking out of the show room as they wave to the audience. A section of the audience is seen taking photographs of both the host and the guest.
From the two television shows, we can deduce that the decorations are quite appropriate for each of the shows. The dress code for the presenters in the two shows is quite ideal in respect to the targeted viewers. Comparing the living rooms of two families in Shriek comedy series Shriek is one of the local children’s comedy series aired every Thursday evening.
Dylan and Ryan are characters in Shriek comedy series and come from less affluent families. They live in a ghetto in Harlem. Walter and Joy are also characters in Shriek comedy series. They come from wealthy families and live in an affluent suburb situated next to the ghetto in which Dylan and Ryan live. All these mentioned characters are children. They are friends too.
The current show compares the lives of the children from the four families. In one of the scenes, the children from the wealthy families are seen taking sumptuous breakfast while the school buses are hooting at their gates waiting for them at their respective residences.
In a contrasting scene, the children from the less affluent families are seen complaining that mere slices of bread are not enough for their breakfast. In a short while, Dylan and Ryan are seen walking to school in torn shoes. The living rooms of the less affluent families are multipurpose. The rooms are used for cooking, relaxation and also serve as bedrooms.
The seating areas have single, tattered sofa sets and old wooden tables. On the other side of the picture are state of the art living rooms with executive sofa sets, coffee tables, water dispensers and television sets. The furniture portrayed in the two scenes seems to reflect very well the social and economic statuses of the four families.
Use of language in two television programs: Cross Fire and Capital Talk Cross Fire is a local television program with five panelists who analyze current political affairs. The host introduces the motion of the day. Being a debate, the debaters engage each other in very heated discussions.
The show is generally characterized by the use of formal language. Capital Talk on the other hand is based on an interview between the host and the guest. The guest may be any individual who has made some significant contribution of any form to the society.
Use of language is generally informal. The discussion is usually made in low tones as heated exchanges of words are rare between the host and the guest. The mood of the show in most cases does not change.
Reference
Barnlund, D. C. (2008). A transactional model of communication. In. C. D. Mortensen (Eds.), Communication theory 2nd ed. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction.