A New York Times article by David Carr mentions the translation of a famous radio show into a television show, another news announcement that media convergence is still turning its wheels. In the article, accessible at Glass, Ira Glass, host of the public radio show “This American Life” is taking his real life stories to the television medium to engage more listens in hearing and seeing these stories of “normal people who are abnormally interesting”. Known for his appeal to the common folk, Glass got started at NPR at 19 and in 1995 started the radio show in Chicago, winning him many radio awards. The themes: wartime romance, kids at summer camp, and religion unfold in acts. Many wonder and are concerned about the success of the show when taken to a new medium, being broadcast on Showtime, and if it will gain an even larger fan base. Glass is already receiving media coverage. Doubts surround the magic of radio that is lost with visibility and production notes of television executives. The upside is the contract allows the show to quickly be taken off television air if it does not do well in the first few episodes and ratings drop. Images will also add expressiveness, and Glass says it will get the moment of realization across with photography and narrative that will be included in the series.
Having those in the radio industry bend to the needs of television can be difficult, but it’s worth a shot if it could gain you a wider audience. It sounds like a terrific idea to see what could be real art portrayed through characters, photography, and narration. I personally am a visual person, and though I listen to radio shows, I would be more interested if it had images to go along with it, hence the creation factor brought to the storytelling. The guy himself and his vision sound very interesting. He’s been in the business and won awards, so he knows what he’s doing, and if he thinks it’s worth a shot then he should go for it. Either way, he will still have the radio version of “This American Life”. Television is a different world based off of a different concept, but change can be good, and we see it with more advanced technology in the generation of media convergence.
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2 comments:
I too am a visual person, but I wonder if what is successful on the radio would be successful on TV. I often listen to NPR and the style of reporting is very different from broadcast news. There are also people who are successful radio hosts who may not be as compelling to watch on television. This sounds more like an entertainment radio show, however, so maybe bringing it to TV would in deed make it more interesting. After all, TV got it's start by turning radio shows like soap operas into television shows. As long as people continue to be entertained, then it should be successful.
Its kind of like the debate of reading the book or watching the film. The book is always going to be more interesting. Something tells me the TV program might not be as successful as the radio. Not to say the TV show itself won't be interesting. Sounds like it will to me. I love documentaries, if only I had showtime.
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