Commercial radio has a long history in the US. It is in this context that sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (CBS, 1978-1982) exists, balancing corporate requirements with sociocultural critique. For those unfamiliar with the series, it followed the trials and tribulations of the radio station WKRP based in Cincinnati, Ohio and its eccentric employees.
‘It’s been…’ For those of a certain age and/or certain geographic range, that partial lyric was almost certainly read in the voice of Steven Page, the former co-front man of Canadian band Barenaked Ladies (from now BNL). Though Page has since become both a solo artist and part of the Trans-Canadian Highwaymen supergroup and the iconic initial lyric is now sung as a duet between BNL’s multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn and drummer Tyler
This month the University of Stirling published the largest ever study of autistic people’s research priorities (Cage, E et al, 2024) finding that they wanted research to focus on mental health and support rather than ‘cure’. In other words, autistic people want their lives to be valued and supported as they are, not to have the sides shaved off their square pegs so that they will fit into a round hole.
Though not well-studied academically,[1] the NBC series Heroes (2006-2010; 2015) is notable for many reasons.
2024 has started with a bang for TV. Shows like The Traitors (BBC1) and Mr Bates vs The Post Office (ITV) have had around 10 million people tuning in to each episode, reminding us of the social relevance and transformative power of the medium.
When writing my dissertation, these many years ago, I would often have some sort of disaster film on in the background. This is not so much because I enjoy listening to actors screaming violations of the laws of basic physics, geology and other STEM fields at the top of their lungs (though I do)[1] but because I tend to think of the genre as dark, absurdist comedy.
I say this as an ardent, lifelong fan of American football, but at this point it seems impossible not to recognise that the NFL is a multibillion-dollar business with a somewhat suspect record on workers’ rights. This is particularly the case when it comes to health and safety (Fainaru-Wada and Fainaru 2013;
For my family, Christmas means television. As far as I know, we have never owned Monopoly, and the idea of playing charades is quite frankly laughable. The Royle Family Christmas specials were a staple of our Christmas TV schedule for many years.
On November 2, 3, 4, 2023, the Université de Montréal held an international conference on digital platforms.
Rare is the Christmas break where I don’t have a pile of research to catch up on, so it was a pleasure to luxuriate in books for a change. Two new arrivals were devoured instantly, and both reflected very different approaches to writing about screen media. One chiefly about film, the other squarely about television.
