Understanding network television

It was very interesting to see how network television had worked in the USA. It is a business model very different from what Europe had experienced at that time. At the same time, there are similaries. In the early days of television, the same strategy was applied with regards to audiences. Watching television was a family programme, often an opportunity for many families to gather in one flat that had a TV. Thus, if you look at 1960's and 70's programmes produced in the US or Europe, they target the whole family.

 For the European eye, I have to admit, that the short black out in the middle of important dramaturgic moments for the commercial break still looks a little strange. It is a specific skill to tailor suspense, drama and jokes to the timing needs of these breaks. However, the fact that TV commercials were expensive and were only affordable for products addressing large target group, also made film makers conscious to attract a high percentage of the target group. Commercials made it possible for popular series to be produced and they also drove the way they were structured. The frequency of breaks was also great for attracting young audiences with shorter attention spans.

At the same time, while Gene Roddenberry had a very clear social agenda for Star Trek, I can imagine that he had to put a lot of effort into making his themes acceptable for the customer, who, in the case of network televison, was more the advertising company than the actual audience. I guess commecial needs and the series' success had a two-way impact. It was not only the series that had to be suited to commercial break needs, but with merchandising becoming a growing phenomenon advertising companies also started to adjust themselves to show time.

To some extent I am sorry that this era has ended. Watching the last two attempts at continuing the franchise, I have the feeling that they would have benefitted from a wider audience being targeted by the creators. I think that you need less action and violence to be able to concentrate on the controversial topics that are still at the heart of Star Trek. 

Watching the pilots of these Star Trek series you clearly see the evolution of technology, but from Next Generation onwards also a clear sign to fans: it is still the Star Trek you love. It is interesting to see gender roles and other social standards evolving. From having a relatively passive black protagonist, Uhura, in the Original Series to Captain Cisco in Deep Space Nine and Captain Janeway. From Klingons being the arch enemy to having Klingons in important positions. From Captain Kirk being the typical women charmer to having same sex and non-binary characters. It is also interesting to see how philosophical questions on robots and humans are tackled differently in the Next Generation and Voyager. While the Original Series is clearly impacted by the Cold War in many ways, you can also see a gradual move towards a more complex way of thinking about enemies and tackling complete nations (or in this case rather species) as enemy.

Picture: Ensign insignia courtesy of SmithsonianX