Australian Television Research Articles

“A Cruel Medium for a Woman”

The developing Melbourne television service featured a number of female personalities who successfully transcended the circumscribed boundaries of their on-camera roles to become household names. Personalities like Corinne Kerby, Panda Lisner, and Toni Lamond were pivotal to the affective connection that many viewers forged with live, locally produced shows. Yet, these women have all but disappeared from the official histories of Australian television, as well as from the shared recollections of the past that form the “public archive” of Australian television. This article not only seeks to recuperate these early performances, but to examine the public discourses that circulated around these personalities, their TV personas, and their private lives.

Who Uses Television Captions, When, and Why? Analyses Based on the Australian Television Caption Users Survey

AbstractDespite the popularity of television captioning among deaf and hard-of-hearing Australians and its utility for other sections of the community (e.g., second language learners of English), there is little systematic research on relevant factors in captioning and patterns of caption use. This paper reports data from the Television Caption Users Survey (conducted October–December, 2000), the largest Australian survey to date of caption users' viewing habits and preferences. The results of this survey have not been previously reported beyond the submission of an industry report, but remain entirely pertinent to the current situation of caption usage in Australia and internationally. Results indicate that caption use is influenced strongly by functional hearing level and experience with captions, as well as by demographic factors. Possible underuse of captions by certain groups warrants further research both by survey and experimental approaches.

TV nation or TV city?

For much of its history in the twentieth century, television was conceived mostly in national terms. American television, British television, Australian television and so on were thought of as distinct systems, even if they frequently displayed significant degrees of overlap. Such a notion has always been a convenient simplification. Television exists at a series of different spatial levels and the nationwide tier is only one of these. Recent interest in the notion of media capital draws attention to the role played by broadcasting hubs in larger television formations, not only in the industrial sense of resource accumulation and density but also in terms of colonizing larger media environments. This paper addresses this matter in terms of the role that a Sydney metropolitan television service has played in the life of the Australian nation. It surveys the material and ideological dimension of this service as a means of further problematizing the connection of television and nation.

Colonialism and Indigenous dispossession in Against the Wind

This article undertakes a revisionist reading of the mini-series Against the Wind (1979) in order to explore the absence of a narrative of Indigenous dispossession. In doing so it seeks to explore the type of history about land, belonging, and nation that was produced in this late 1970s historical Australian television drama. The analysis focuses on a reading of a particular set of publicity materials and the DVD of the series and considers carefully the role of the single Indigenous character in the series. The place of this character, Ngilgi, is examined in relation to the series' characterization of national trauma.

YouTube versus the National Film and Sound Archive: Which Is the More Useful Resource for Historians of Australian Television?

This article compares YouTube and the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) as resources for television historians interested in viewing old Australian television programs. The author searched for seventeen important television programs, identified in a previous research project, to compare what was available in the two archives and how easy it was to find. The analysis focused on differences in curatorial practices of accessioning and cataloguing. NFSA is stronger in current affairs and older programs, while YouTube is stronger in game shows and lifestyle programs. YouTube is stronger than the NFSA on “human interest” material—births, marriages, and deaths. YouTube accessioning more strongly accords with popular histories of Australian television. Both NFSA and YouTube offer complete episodes of programs, while YouTube also offers many short clips of “moments.” YouTube has more surprising pieces of rare ephemera. YouTube cataloguing is more reliable than that of the NFSA, with fewer broken links. The YouTube metadata can be searched more intuitively. The NFSA generally provides more useful reference information about production and broadcast dates.

“No Respecter of Youth”: Over-representation of Young Women in Australian Television Coverage of Breast Cancer

Ninety four percent of new breast cancer cases in Australian women occur in those aged over 40. Mammographic breast screening programs target women over 40, especially those aged 50-69, but participation rates in this age group have recently declined. To test the hypothesis that young women, at low risk for breast cancer, are overrepresented in television news, we analyzed all televised news reports on age and breast cancer shown on five free-to-air Sydney television stations, from 3 May 2005 to 28 February 2007, to determine the age of women shown with, or at risk for, the disease. Over half (55%) of statements about age and breast cancer referred to young women stated or known to be aged under 40. Sixty seven percent of images of women in breast cancer reports were known or judged to be women aged under 40. Three cases in young celebrity women accounted for 53% of all statements and 24% of all images about young women and breast cancer. Overrepresentation of young women with breast cancer in television news coverage does not reflect the epidemiology of the disease. This imbalance may contribute to public uncertainty regarding screening policy.

Missing in Action: On the Invisibility of (Most) Australian Television

Missing in Action: On the Invisibility of (Most) Australian Television

Room for Improvement: Mixed Portrayal of Young People with Mental Illness on Australian Television News

The aim of the present study was to review television news depiction of mental illness in children and adolescents to test the hypothesis that positive portrayals of adults with mental illness also apply to young people. Content and frame analysis of first-person depictions and overall news angle was carried out to determine whether depictions were positive, neutral or negative. The media portrayal of young people with mental illnesses was mixed. Overall, 10 items (29%) of news angles were positive, 13 items (37%) neutral and nine items (26%) negative. Positive themes were significantly less frequent for young people compared to adults (10 items, 29% compared to 151 items, 66%), and negative themes were more frequent (nine items, 26% vs 21 items, 9%). First-person depictions, however, were similar for young people and adults (24 items, 69% vs 150 items, 66%). An anti-medication sub-theme was notable. Overall the portrayal of young people with mental illnesses on television news is not as positive as that for adults. Similar to adults, however, first-person depictions resulted in a more positive representation of young people. Fewer first-person depictions in combination with an anti-medication theme and historically less access to appropriate services for young people may have contributed to the less positive results for young people with mental illnesses.

The content and structure of Australian television reportage on health and medicine, 2005–2009: parameters to guide health workers

To describe the content and structure of health and medical news and current affairs reportage on free-to-air television in Sydney, New South Wales. Review of content of all health-related evening news and current affairs items recorded over 47 months (May 2005-March 2009). Number and length of health-related items on news and current affairs programs, and topics covered in these (21 broad content areas and the leading 50/237 specific content areas); use of news actors, soundbite duration and apparent news triggers. 11,393 news items and 2309 current affairs items were analysed. Health news items lasted a median of 97 seconds. In a randomly selected sample of 251 items, items featured a mean of 2.2 news actors (3.9 in longer current affairs items). Median soundbite duration was 7.2 seconds for news items and 8.9 seconds for current affairs items. People affected by disease or injury were the most commonly featured news actors (84% of items), followed by experts and health professionals (56%). Many items (42%) appeared to be triggered by incidents, but a further 42% could have been triggered by press releases and other forms of publicity. Health workers wishing to participate in news coverage should be aware that complex issues are reduced to fit the time constraints and presentational formulae of the news media. Advocates should plan their communication strategies to accommodate these constraints.

IS Doctor Who Australian?

As part of an ARC Discovery project to write a history of Australian television from the point of view of audiences, I looked for Australian television fan communities. It transpired that the most productive communities exist around imported programming like the BBC's Doctor Who. This program is an Australian television institution, and I was therefore interested in finding out whether it should be included in an audience-centred history of Australian television. Research in archives of fan materials showed that the program has been made distinctively Australian through censorship and scheduling practices. There are uniquely Australian social practices built around it. Also, its very Britishness has become part of its being — in a sense — Australian. Through all of this, there is a clear awareness that this Australian institution originates somewhere else — that for these fans Australia is always secondary, relying on other countries to produce its myths for it, no matter how much it might reshape them.

Representing Australianness: Our National Identity Brought to You byToday Tonight

Since first being broadcast in 1995, Today Tonight has become one of Australia's most watched current affairs programs. It has also arguably become one of the most talked about and controversial programs on Australian television. This article explores the links between Today Tonight and discourses of Australian identity. By placing this program within a theoretical tradition that views television as a cultural storyteller, this article explores the complex and somewhat contradictory representations of the Australian identity made by the Today Tonight text. It will argue that, throughout a range of representations — from the discourse of the ‘Aussie battler’ to contrasting depictions of Australian society under threat and in decay, or as a place of opportunity — Today Tonight maintains a steady focus on ‘ordinary Australians’ as its main target audience and the bearers of our true national identity.

‘A disease many people still feel uncomfortable talking about’: Australian television coverage of colorectal cancer

To examine the coverage of colorectal cancer on Australian television news over a 3 year period commencing May 2005, and compare it with that given to other cancers. News reports on colorectal cancer broadcast on Sydney's five free-to-air television channels between 3 May 2005 and 30 May 2008 were reviewed for statements by news actors. The frequency of coverage was compared with that for other cancers. Colorectal cancer news reports accounted for 4.1% (95% CI 2.9-5.1%) of all cancer news reports while the cancer represents 13.5% of cancer incidence and 11.5% of cancer deaths. Compared to cancers receiving greater television news coverage, there was a near total absence of reports of celebrity diagnoses, and of representations by colorectal advocacy groups. A national colorectal screening programme received limited coverage. Media neglect of colorectal cancer may be an important factor in explaining low participation in the Australian colorectal screening programme. Those advocating for colorectal cancer screening face ingrained cultural challenges in gaining broad media coverage, but investment in efforts to generate news and commentary would appear to be overdue.

Smoking‐related disease on Australian television news: inaccurate portrayals may contribute to public misconceptions

To describe the range and frequency of reportage of tobacco-related disease on Australian television news. Content analysis of all news items mentioning smoking-related disease broadcast on five free-to-air Sydney television channels 2 May 2005 to 31 December 2007. Three in four tobacco-related disease news reports focus on lung cancer. Other cancers and smoking attributable diseases attract modest coverage. Television news coverage may contribute to public misconceptions regarding the associated health risks of smoking, limiting understanding about the many risks involved. Tobacco control advocates should seek to increase the newsworthiness of diseases in addition to lung cancer. While the Australian public is generally aware of the connection between lung cancer and tobacco, considerable misconception exists as to the broad range of tobacco-related mortality and disease. Given television's role as a key source of public information on health issues in Australia, such coverage can limit understanding about the many attributable risks involved. Tobacco control advocates need to find ways to improve the newsworthiness of tobacco related illness.

Performing Translatinidad: Miriam the Mexican Transsexual Reality Show Star and the Tropicalization of Difference in Anglo-Australian Media

In 2004, a new celebrity hit the Australian television circuit. Billed as a mysterious, seductive Latina with a secret, she graced our shores in a TV reality show called ` There's Something About Miriam': a dating game with a twist. Set in Ibiza, Miriam vies for the attention of six eligible British bachelors without letting them in on her transsexual status. In her ambiguity, Miriam is the embodiment of all things seen as other and exotic; in the context of Anglo-Australian understandings, she is the marker of all things Hispanic. Wildly popular in Australia, Miriam stepped out of one reality show into another: the Australian version of Big Brother. The TV network promised to deliver more on this boy turned girl, whose body provided the right kind of slippage to become the site of inscription for a range of repeated tropical fictions.

Romance and reconciliation: the secret life of indigenous sexuality on Australian television drama

This article examines the representation of indigenous sexuality on Australian television drama since the 1970s, suggesting the political importance of such representations. In 1976 Justine Saunders became the first regular indigenous character on an Australian television drama series, as the hairdresser Rhonda Jackson in Number 96. She was presented as sexually attractive, but this was expressed through a rape scene after a party. Twenty five years later, Deborah Mailman starred in The Secret Life of Us, as Kelly, who is also presented as sexually attractive. But her character can be seen in many romantic relationships. The article explores changing representations that moved us from Number 96 to The Secret Life of Us, via The Flying Doctors and Heartland. It suggests that in representations of intimate and loving relationships on screen it has only recently become possible to see hopeful models for interaction between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

Screening the Dykes of Oz: Lesbian Representation on Australian Television

This article provides a survey of lesbian representation in Australian-made television programming. Beginning with the 1970s, when Australia led the Anglophone world in terms of queer representation on television, the article discusses major instances of queer women appearing on Australian television including in such shows as Prisoner, Home & Away, Neighbours, All Saints, The Secret Life of Us, Last Man Standing, and Kick.

More Us Than Them: Positive Depictions of Mental Illness on Australian Television News

The aim of the present study was to review television news coverage of mental illness including self-depictions from people with mental illness, and views expressed by mental health experts and politicians in all 538 news and current affairs items related to mental illness broadcast on free-to-air Sydney television, May 2005-October 2007. Content and frame analysis was done of news actors (those with mental illnesses, experts and politicians) of whether depictions were positive 'one of us', or negative 'one of them'. Only 6% of all items with a main focus on a specific health condition, focused on mental health. Individuals with mental illness were present in 264 (49%) of 538 items, with most (174, 66%) of these self-depictions categorized as either neutral or positive. Experts and politicians overwhelmingly represented and described people with mental illnesses in neutral or positive ways (95% and 84%, respectively). Overall news angle included 299 items (55%), which were categorized as positive 'recovery focused' items. Another 156 items (29%) were neutral, and 62 items (12%) were classified as negative. Twenty-one (4%) had unclear or mixed themes. The present findings differ from previous descriptions of media depiction of mental illness, which have been largely negative. The present study provides support for the importance of involving those with histories of mental illness in news coverage.

Exposure of Children and Adolescents to Alcohol Advertising on Television in Australia

This article reports the extent to which children (0-12 years) and teenagers below the legal drinking age in Australia (13-17 years) were exposed to alcohol advertising on free-to-air television in Sydney, Australia, during the period from March 2005 to February 2006. Exposure levels were obtained from weekly Target Audience Rating Points (TARPs) data generated by OzTAM, the official Australian television audience monitoring system. (The TARPs figure for an advertisement is calculated based on the number of individuals from a target audience [e.g., 13- to 17-year-olds] exposed to the ad as a proportion of the total number of individuals within the target audience, multiplied by 100). Exposure levels were obtained for four age groups-up to 12 years, 13-17 years, 18-24 years, and 25 years and older-for 156 different ads for 50 brands. Adults 25 years and older were most exposed to alcohol advertising: approximately 660 TARPs per week. The level to which underage teenagers (13-17 years) were exposed to alcohol advertising was virtually identical to that of young adults (18-24 years): 426 TARPs per week vs 429 TARPs per week. Children (0-12 years) were exposed to approximately one in every three alcohol ads seen on average by mature adults (ages 25 years and older). This study found that Australian children and teenagers below the legal drinking age currently are exposed to unacceptably high levels of alcohol advertising on television. These findings suggest that alcohol marketers may be deliberately targeting underage adolescents. At the very least the findings highlight the need for action to be taken to reduce levels to which underage Australians are exposed to alcohol advertising on television.

Persuasive food marketing to children: use of cartoons and competitions in Australian commercial television advertisements

While there is a recognized link between high levels of exposure to advertising of unhealthy foods and overweight and obesity among children, there is little research on the extent to which these exposures include persuasive marketing techniques. This study aimed to measure children's exposure to the use of persuasive marketing within television food advertisements. Advertisements broadcast on all three commercial Australian television channels were recorded for an equivalent 1 week period in May 2006 and 2007 (714 h). Food advertisements were analysed for their use of persuasive marketing, including premium offers, such as competitions, and the use of promotional characters, including celebrities and cartoon characters. Advertised foods were categorized as core, non-core or miscellaneous foods. Commercial data were purchased to determine children's peak viewing times and popular programs. A total of 20 201 advertisements were recorded, 25.5% of which were for food. Significantly more food advertisements broadcast during children's peak viewing times, compared to non-peak times, contained promotional characters (P < 0.05) and premium offers (P < 0.001). During programs most popular with children, there were 3.3 non-core food advertisements per hour containing premium offers, compared to 0.2 per hour during programs most popular with adults. The majority of advertisements containing persuasive marketing during all viewing periods were for non-core foods. Persuasive marketing techniques are frequently used to advertise non-core foods to children, to promote children's brand recognition and preference for advertised products. Future debate relating to television advertising regulations must consider the need to restrict the use of persuasive marketing techniques to children.

Parental awareness and attitudes about food advertising to children on Australian television

To assess parents' concern regarding television food advertising to children and the marketing methods used, their awareness of existing regulations and support for strengthening restrictions, and to determine whether these factors differ across sociodemographic groups. A randomly selected sample of 400 parents of children under 14 years in all Australian States and Territories completed the cross-sectional telephone survey in March 2007. Data were weighted by metropolitan and regional population proportions. Parents were concerned about unhealthy food advertising to children (67.3%), use of popular personalities (67.7%), toys (76.4%), and advertising volume (79.7%). Older parents, of high socioeconomic status (SES), with fewer household televisions were more likely to be concerned. Only 47.4% of parents were aware of current regulations and those with a tertiary education were more likely to be aware: odds ratio (OR) 2.96 (95% CI: 1.55-5.65). Parents supported a change from self-regulation (92.8%), a ban on unhealthy food advertising to children (86.8%) and, to a lesser extent, a ban on all food advertising (37.3%). There was widespread parental concern about food advertising and strong support for tighter restrictions. Given that the existing regulations rely on complaints and awareness is low, particularly among parents with lower education levels, a system of external monitoring and enforcement is essential. Clearly more effective regulations are needed to protect children and parental support for this is high.