it may be possible that there is a behavioral pattern or a form of addiction at play, which leaves viewers with a feeling that they need to watch this. All in all, it seems there are many reasons or motivations that might explain why people keep watching these television programs. It does not seem to provide a direct answer, though, to the expressed discrepancy or double feeling of ‘not really liking Say Yes to the Dress, but still feeling the need to watch it on a regular basis’. To find an answer to this discrepancy, I will analyze the kind of needs3 viewers seem to have when they watch television programs. The reality TV series Say Yes to the Dress will make a good case study to relate these needs to, because it seems to be a ‘relatively normal’ television program, not emphasizing the aforementioned ‘spectacle’ aspect for example. Therefore the research question that is central to this thesis is as follows: What kind of needs does the television program Say Yes to the Dress fulfill? But why should one research a phenomenon like this? We have to pay close attention to what is broadcasted, because the range of television is enormous. Nowadays almost every Western household seems to include a television, and people are also watching and re-watching television programs online on streaming services like Netflix. In addition to television consumption, media consumption in general seems to grow with every generation and so will the time people spend interacting with it. By investigating how viewers interact with a television program like Say Yes to the Dress, insights about needs and values that are at play in our contemporary society can be gained, especially about situations where people seem to not be aware of their own interaction or needs in the first place. I believe it is important to investigate these needs from two different perspectives, a predominantly positive and a predominantly negative one, when it comes to the autonomy of the viewer. Focusing on these two opposite, somewhat extreme, perspectives will help to clarify viewing processes more easily in terms of the viewer’s needs and it will also help to investigate the related underlying cultural processes. The predominantly positive approach will be conducted through the work of John Fiske, Professor of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA), who emphasizes that viewers hold a certain power, that they are ‘active’ in their viewing processes. His work in particular, is known for his 3 When the term need(s) is used it refers to something a person must have, something that is needed in order to live or succeed or be happy. It also refers to the feeling that one must have or do something. This definition was retrieved from Merriam Webster. Online British
encyclopaedia. < http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/need > Accessed at June 20th
It was around the turn of the century that the channel started to investigate a new direction. Ratings were relatively low, probably due to a narrow target audience, and therefore the network started to deemphasize the educational programming in favor of entertainment. With the distancing from their original focus came also the distancing from its original name The Learning Channel. ‘TLC’ – ‘Life Unscripted’ was introduced to be the new name of the network and with it came a huge program shift. Reality-drama and interior design shows became regular content and shows like A Wedding Story and A Baby Story are examples of this new shift in programming towards popular mass consumption. Around the year 2006 though, another promotional campaign was introduced where the tag ‘Life Unscripted’ was replaced by ‘Live and Learn’. An interesting shift from decorating shows and reality-TV towards again more ‘educational’ content was set in motion although the network specifically distanced itself from this niche a few years ago. During this campaign the original name The Learning Channel was seen again, focusing on life lessons and targeting audiences in their 30s. Last year the network established itself as a top 10-cable network with women and had 24 series averaging 1 million viewers or more; including 5 series with 2 million viewers or more. As a global brand TLC is available in more than 93 million homes in the United States and has 312 million subscribers in 190 markets internationally.19 Today most of TLC's programming is geared towards reality-based drama or interests such as home design, emergency room or medical dramas, extreme weather, law enforcement, dating, and human interest programs. The latest slogan of the channel ‘Life Surprises’ indicates a shift towards more personal stories, providing a focus away from the once-dominating home improvement shows. Familiy is now the core focus of the channel. Series like Jon & Kate Plus 8, Little People, Big World, 17 Kids and Counting, Say Yes to the Dress and Cake Boss exemplify this shift.20 Genre – Reality TV Besides a common focus on family life, television shows like the aforementioned and Say Yes to the Dress are also embedded in the same genre named ‘Reality TV’. According to Annette Hill, there is no one definition of reality programming. As an expert with 15 years of research on reality TV she accumulated several 19 On TV series finale.com. Say Yes to the Dress: TLC teases season 14 ‘Heroes’. By Cindy McLennan. February 8th 2016. < http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/say-yes-to-the-dress-tlc-teases-season-14-heroes/> Accessed on May 30th 2016. 20 This very short history of the TLC television network was retrieved from the following sources: Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh. The complete directory to prime time network and cable TV shows, 1946-present. New York: Ballantine Books, 2003, pag. Xviii-xxi. Wikipedia
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TLC_%28TV_network%29> accessed at May 13th and Holmes,
Votes Percentage Rating 204 17.1% 10 65 5.4% 9 108 9.0% 8 148 12.4% 7 108 9.0% 6 63 5.3% 5 45 3.8% 4 36 3.0% 3 31 2.6% 2 386 32.3% 1 Figure 1.1 (Arithmetic mean = 5.2. Median = 6)
Males 348 Votes Average 2.8
A look behind the popular facade But what is it exactly that’s behind this popularity? The appeal of the show can be explained from several angles. Naturally there is the group of brides-to-be who are looking for insightful tips and tricks to create their own dream wedding in the best possible way. For this reason they are surely attracted to the show, but not only because they like to be informed or inspired. Their ideas and dreams were influenced by something bigger, long before they decided to tie the knot. The American multi-billion-dollar wedding industry has a hold on many, already influencing girls from an early age with their fairytale-like stories, dreamy dresses and happily-ever-after’s. It is the ultimate pursuit of happiness where the wedding seems to embody the beginning and assurance of a happily-ever-after. It has become part of the American culture36 and arguably the European one as well. And Hollywood and Disney invigorated it all. Children, in this case especially girls, are from a young age consciously and subconsciously influenced by films and television that propagandize the princes-for-a-day fantasy. Combine this with the promise of ‘participatory interactivity’ Andrejevic ascribed to the reality format and they are led to believe this dream can be realized. After all, in reality shows it can be anyone – even you. Say Yes to the Dress picked up on this phantasm and made in tangible by incorporating the dress as the ultimate iconic image of this dream. And this shows. As Reggie Nadelson puts it spot-on into words in her article for BBC NEWS Magazine: “Weddings are (…) a multi-billion-dollar business in America and for most brides, the dress is the thing.”37 So let us focus on the dress in particular. In every episode there is the objective to make the sale, the bridal consultant who would love to sell a dress (or preferably several) in order to make his or her quota within the allotted timeframe. In the end it is the programs core business – selling a product. It is consumerism in its purest form. But despite this fairly transparent sales-aspect viewers seem to appreciate Say Yes to the Dress nevertheless. Maybe because they actually like to watch a sale being closed, or perhaps it is because the bridal consultants do not push their clients very hard, taking into account the bride-to-be’s feelings and the pressure that she appears to be under. Either way, other 36 This term knows numerous definitions, but for this thesis the definition of John Fiske will be used. “Culture is concerned with meanings and pleasures: our culture consists of the meanings we make of our social experience and of our social relations, and therefore the sense we have of our ‘selves’. It also situates those meanings within the social system, for a social system can only be held in place by the meanings that people make of it. Culture is deeply inscribed in the differential distribution of power within a society, for power relations can only be stabilized or destabilized by the meanings that people make of them. Culture is a struggle for meanings as society is a struggle for power.” Fiske, John. Television Culture. London: Routledge, 1987, pag. 20. 37 BBC NEWS Magazine. Virginal of Strapless? How New York Says Yes to the Dress. Written by
Facebook pagw Say Yes to the Dress: <https://www.facebook.com/SayYesToTheDress/> Accessed at May 11th 2016. Fan Fiction. Say Yes to the Dress Written by Hyacinth Judy (2014) <https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10019489/1/Say-Yes-To-The-Dress> Accessed at May 12th 2016. IMDb official website. Say Yes to the Dress (2007) <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166709/ratings?ref_=tt_ov_rt> Accessed at May 30th 2016. Internet Movie Database. Say Yes to the Dress News Coverage. Item from POPSUGAR: ‘25 Things that Always Happen on Say Yes to the Dress’. Written by Maggie Pehanick. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166709/news?ref_=tt_pv_nw_sm> Accessed at May 31st 2016. Kleinfeld Bridal. < http://www.kleinfeldbridal.com/index.cfm?pid=Say-Yes-To-The-Dress&pg=About-the-Show> accessed at May eleventh 2016. Merriam Webster. Online British encyclopaedia. < http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spin%E2%80%93off> Accessed at June 2nd 2016. Show Buzz Daily. SCHOWBUZZDAILY’S Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.20.2016. Written by Mitch Metcalf. < http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-friday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-20-2016.html> Accessed at May 29th 2016. The Atlantic. The Appealing Earnestness of ‘Say Yes to the Dress’. Written by Valerie Seiling Jacobs. < http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/06/the-appealing-earnestness-of-say-yes-to-the-dress/257015/> Accessed at June 4th 2016. TV.com. Say Yes to the Dress Fan Reviews and Ratings. <http://www.tv.com/shows/say-yes-to-the-dress/reviews/> Accessed at May 31st 2016. TV series finale.com. Say Yes to the Dress: TLC teases season 14 ‘Heroes’. By Cindy McLennan. February 8th 2016. < http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/say-yes-to-the-dress-tlc-teases-season-14-heroes/> Accessed on May 30th 2016.
Wikipedia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TLC_%28TV_network%29> accessed
at May 13th. And <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Yes_to_the_Dress >
Keasha has not appeared on Say Yes to the Dress since the January 2011 season. She will be appearing on a new show entitled Keasha’s Perfect Dress on the Canadian Slice network. This show will follow Keasha as she opens a new bridal salon. Debbie Asprea Debbie Asprea is one of the several bridal consultants at Kleinfeld. She has been working in the retail industry for eighteen years. She has been with Kleinfeld for fifteen of those eighteen years. She attributes her love of fashion to her father, who was a dress contractor. 3. Details Say Yes to the Dress Genre: Reality TV Narrated by: Roger Craig Smith Country of Origin: United States of America Original Language: English Number of Seasons: 14 Production Executive producer: Grace Inge Camera setup: Multiple Running time: 22 minutes Production company: Half Yard Productions Original network: TLC94 Picture format: 480i (SDTV)/1080i (HDTV) Original release: October 12th, 2007 – present Chronology related shows Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss Say Yes to the Dress: Randy knows best Randy to the Rescue 95 94 As of February 2015, approximately 95 million American households (81.6% of households with cable television) receive TLC. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TLC_%28TV_network%29> accessed at May 13th.
95 Retrieved from Wikipedia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Yes_to_the_Dress> Accessed at
