The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Media Literacy Final Project

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television
Paul Mullin
John Carroll University
4/20/14

Mullin

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin

Broadcast television has evolved over the past decades and even more so in
recent years. The creations of Cable Television, Netflix, HBO and Showtime have
increased the need for Broadcast television to entertain viewers in more vivid ways.
Broadcast Television has worked to compete with the more popular television
shows on these platforms by adding to the level of explicit content, more specifically
in violence. As broadcast television attempts to adapt to the changing market,
research has been done to understand why viewers are attracted to the violence and
explicit behaviors in television shows. The market continues to shift to a more
accepting culture of violence. In this shift a line must be drawn in the legality of
what can and cannot be shown on television. Violence on television impacts a
variety of human needs, including financial and psychological needs and interests.
The entertainment industry is driven by money, each network is in a never-ending
quest for new advertisers and in order to attract those advertisers, each network
needs to attract viewers to achieve the highest possible ratings per hour of
programming.
Broadcast television can be defined as the national channels that are not
apart of the cable networks. The major broadcast stations consist of Fox, NBC, CBS,
CW and ABC. Each of these stations produces their own programming but follow a
different code of rules than Netflix, HBO and Showtime stations. In recent years the
ratings of shows on broadcast channels have suffered compared to original
programming on platforms such as Netflix, HBO and Cable. According to Nielson, the
ratings generator of Television, Game of Thrones, an HBO Original show topped

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin

the rating charts in the week of April 13, 2014, gathering 6.6 million viewers for one
single episode (Nielson 2014). That number of viewers was at the 9pm showing
alone in the replay at 10pm another 1.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the show.
More recently the same the show in its third episode of the season on April 20, 2014
reached 6.6 million viewers for the second time in the same season according to
Entertainment Weekly. The HBO original series is known for its violent tendencies
and sexually explicit nature often showcasing death and nudity. The second episode
of the most recent season showcased a major characters demise at the end of the
episode. The third episode had a 5% increase in viewership according to
Entertainment Weekly. The Game of Thrones rating was the highest for any HBO
show since The Sopranos. Both Game of Thrones and The Sopranos highlight
violence and sexual behavior and both of these shows accrued a much higher
viewership than the other shows on the channel that focus on comedy. Primetime
Broadcast network numbers appear much larger in viewership. NCIS a crime
thriller achieved over 17 million viewers during the week of April 7, 2014 according
to the Nielson website. NCIS was ranked the second highest in Primetime
viewership in that week. One reason for differential in viewership is because of the
fact that in order to view an HBO show one must purchase a membership. The
ability to watch HBO content on a variety of platforms changes the viewership
numbers and after all that is taken into consideration approximately 13 million
viewers on average watch the hit show Game of Thrones. The membership cost
allows the network to place more explicit content on their shows. Although the
viewership numbers seem distinctly larger in comparison Broadcast and Cable

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin

stations are constantly attempting to push the limits in what they can place on their
shows.
A broadcast television show called, The Following, an original series on Fox
about a serial killer and his cult followers who kill for him while he is imprisoned,
has pushed the violence limits in its two completed seasons. In its first season the
show pushed the limits on violence and the depiction of murder from the intense
imagery to the realistic sounds of stabbing. In an AP news article about television
violence David Bauder mentions a variety of scenes that took place on television and
cites a scene where a man is working at coffee cart and was set on fire. This scene
was an example of broadcast television not holding back in violence. Henry Hanks
wrote an article for CNN discussing The Following, and he stated that the
producers of, The Following told critics they were cutting back on the violence for
season two after receiving harsh criticism for the vivid killings in the first season.
Similarly a cable show called, The Walking Dead has attracted viewers using its
post-apocalypse zombie thriller storyline. This show has generated widespread
popularity in the 18-49 age demographic of both males and females according to an
AdWeek article written by Anthony Crupi. In its premiere of the fourth season it
received more viewers than Sunday Night Football and Game 4 of the 2013 World
Series. Sixteen million viewers tuned in to watch the cast slay hundreds of zombies
as they attempted to stay alive in a wasteland of what is left on earth.
The list of shows showcasing violence in the most extreme ways is almost
never ending, which begs the question why are shows of this nature being produced
on most networks. The reason is not simple but to break it down the money

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin

generated from the shows makes it hard for networks to reject the violent
programming. Psychological research has also been conducted to understand what
attracts the viewer to the gruesome programming. A study created by Portell and
Mullet dives into the reasons why people enjoy watching violence on television. In
their study they took other arguments from prior research and built a compelling
argument to better understand the need for violence. Moskalenko and Heine in
2003 made the claim that individuals look for dramatic entertainment to
camouflage their internal world. Individuals do not feel comfortable when the
attention and spotlight is placed on them, however, once the action is placed on a
television and they are merely the viewers of a tragedy or violent murder, the way
in which they interpret the incident switches.
Another theory that better helps understand the attraction to television
violence is the reversal theory. This theory was originally developed in 2001 by
Apter but was later refined in 2007. The theory discusses the personality changes
that occur throughout a single day. From that theory the understanding of the
paratelic and telic states better explains the attraction to violent television. The
paratelic state depicts time when a situations goals are to make the activity more
enjoyable, whereas the telic state is serious and the values of the situation are based
solely on achievement. In a 1992 study Apter discussed the protective frame
which is the object or state of mind that separates the individual from the specific
situation. By adding the protective frame to specific situations the telic state can be
altered to create a feeling similar to the paratelic state. The more protective frames
in place, the higher chance of achieving the paratelic state.

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin

Therefore in the study from Portell and Mullet they administered

questionnaires to college students with a ranking of situations and they were asked
to rank based on the most threatening. The first questionnaire consisted of
situations with no protective frame, the second with one protective frame, following
that a questionnaire with two protective frames. The results of this experiment
show that if the risky situation was presented on television the viewer was more
strongly drawn to that compared to when the situation was placed directly in front
of them without a protective frame. In addition the same individuals also enjoyed
talking about threatening and risky situations because of the fact that it personally
did not happen to them but rather they were twice removed through the two
protective frames. In conclusion this research and the prior research depicts the
attraction to violence based on the fact that because the individuals watching the
program have a protective frame (the television or conversations about television)
the violence is enjoyable and they are safe because they are removed from the
action and destruction. In an article titled, The Violent Life of a Crime-thriller
Writer written by Mark Rubinstein, a successful crime story writer, he mentions
the fact that the writers of violent television or books are not personally obsessed
with violence but rather, it is what drives the market whether it be in movies,
television, video games or books, violence is everywhere.
To dive deeper into the issue of violence on television one must understand
the income that is generated from the most violent shows on television. According
to the State of the Media article in 2012, cable networks relied on subscriber fees
and advertising to accrue revenue. Upon further research according to SNL Kagan, a

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin

division of SNL Financial, 39% of revenue was the result of advertising while 58%
was the result of subscriber fees. Also in a Los Angeles Times article written by Meg
James, cable networks were able to bridge the gap of viewership numbers compared
to broadcast networks. Since they were able to compete in viewership they were
able to raise the advertising costs by 10%. In an AdWeek article written in January
of 2014 about NBCs advertising revenue, Anthony Crupi stated that NBC
advertising revenue went up 8% for primetime television. (Crupi, 2014) Also in a
Forbes Magazine article printed in 2010, research was conducted to find out which
television shows generated the most advertising revenue. The third most profitable
show for advertising was FOXs, 24 each hour the show aired it made $6 million.
This show showcases a rogue agent who only has twenty-four hours to prevent a
terrorist take over in the United States. The show returns this spring and the
advertising buzz have already began. Money has become the fuel to violent thrillers
and these examples supplement the point of money keeping shows like, 24 alive.
Online streaming and HBO have become very strong competitors to the cable
and broadcast programing on primetime in recent years. Netflix has began to
release original programing on their live streaming service. According to a Forbes
article titled, Netflix Binge: House of Cards Season Two Viewers Surge 8x on Day
One only 2% of Netflix users watched only one episode of House of Cards on the
day the second season was released. However, at the same time 3.6% watched the
first five episodes on the day the season was released. The article also mentions the
fact that as long as the shows are renewed and created viewers will continue to
purchase subscriptions. In addition the article also references the amount of people

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin

who have searched, House of Cards is up 76% year to year (Forbes, 2013). The
emphasis of the article was on how Netflix has the ability to continue to grow by
developing shows of this nature that are only available on Netflix. Most recently the
second original series, Orange is the New Black hit the live stream with great
success, however, Netflix is not rated by Nielson meaning that the number of
viewers is unknown to the public. Netflix announced in a Los Angeles Times article
from 2013 that it currently had approximately 30 million subscribers. The major
difference between Netflix and Cable/Broadcast television is that the platform does
not make revenue on advertising rather solely on subscription fees. However, that
does not mean advertisers do not take advantage of the highly watched
programming. In each episode of House of Cards, one will see a variety of products
placed throughout the scenes that the characters utilize. Advertisers understand
that shows like, House of Cards are generating large quantities of viewers similar
to broadcast television and in order to reach those viewers without commercials
placing their products in the show is key. In a 2013 article on Forbes titled, Apple
and Netflix Team Up for Unofficial Product Placement the author, Louis Bedigian,
discusses the unofficial agreement to utilize Apple products in the show including
iPads and iPhones. The article digs deeper into the product placement to mention
how Sony and Blackberry also place their products strategically into the show.
Whether it is simply product placement or commercial advertising money has
dictated the content of television programming. Shows that utilize high-density
violence and bring in millions of viewers have no reason to change when advertising
on these shows becomes a premium.

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin

A common argument has been made stating that violence in television has
always been present and it has not changed over the years. However, research begs
to differ, a study conducted by the Parents Television Council researched violence in
television and noticed an increase in violence on the NBC dramas. The show, Law
and Order: SVU has been on television for over a decade, and in the past year
according to the article there was an increase of 10 to 24 violent scenes in the past
year alone. In addition the show, Hannibal which is also on NBC, pulled an episode
of the serial killer drama in April to respect the victims of The Boston Marathon.
Parents Television Council president Tim Winter blames this trend of violence on
the networks attempting to compete against each other for the best thriller on
primetime. Brad Busman a professor at Ohio State for Communication and
Psychology blames technology, mentioning the fact that as technology gets better so
too does the ability to make the viewer feel as if they actually are in the scene.
The trend towards violence in the media more specifically television is one
that has sculpted the American culture in a way that could create a significant
impact on society. As society becomes more attached to the violence in their favorite
programming what will cause the change needed to stop the trend of increasing the
amount of violence on television. Networks, whether they are broadcast, cable,
Netflix or HBO all show no signs of slowing the creation of violent programming as
they continue to set new records in ratings, and revenue from these programs. The
trend set by Netflix and HBO has significantly effected broadcast and cable
programming because of the fact they are forced to push the limits of violence and
other explicit content in hopes of retaining advertisers who are following the rating

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin 10

points that are accrued from high viewership. In conclusion one must ask
themselves whether or not they will take a stand in adjusting programming for
future generations as the new technology and programming continue to evolve?

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin 11

References

Cable: By the Numbers | State of the Media. (n.d.). Cable: By the Numbers |
State of the Media. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from
http://stateofthemedia.org/2013/cable-a-growing-medium-reaching-itsceiling/cable-by-the-numbers/
COLUMNIST, M. (2014). LESS IS MORE WHEN IT COMES TO GORE. Entertainment
Weekly, (1305), 22.
Crupi, A. (2013, October 29). AMC Orders a Fifth Helping of The Walking Dead.
AdWeek. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from
http://www.adweek.com/news/television/amc-orders-fifth-helping-walkingdead-153469
Crupi, A. (2014, January 28). Stellar Quarter for Resurgent NBC. AdWeek.
Retrieved April 20, 2014, from
http://www.adweek.com/news/television/stellar-quarter-resurgent-nbc155279
Flock, E. (2013, October 18). Violence Increasing in TV Dramas- Especially
NBC. US News. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/10/18/study-violenceincreasing-in-tv-dramas--especially-on-nbc
Hanks, H. (2014, January 22). Is TV more violent than ever?. CNN. Retrieved
April 20, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/20/showbiz/tv-violence/
Harnick, C. (2013, May 1). TV Violence Still Prevalent, According To New PTC
Study. The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

Mullin 12

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/01/tv-violence-ptcstudy_n_3193813.html
Insights, B. (2013, February 5). Apple And Netflix Team Up For Unofficial
Product Placement. Forbes. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/benzingainsights/2013/02/05/apple-andnetflix-team-up-for-unofficial-product-placement/
James, M. (2011, June 18). Cable channels pull in more ad revenue. Los
Angeles Times. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/18/business/la-fi-ct-cable-tv-20110618
Portell, M., & Mullet, E. (2014). Why Do People Enjoy Watching Natural
Disasters and Human Violence on Television? A Reversal Theory
Perspective. Journal of Motivation, Emotion, and Personality: Reversal
Theory Studies, 2(1), 1-10.
Rose, L. (2010, March 9). TV's Biggest Moneymakers. Forbes. Retrieved April
29, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/08/american-idol-24-vbusiness-entertainment-tv-moneymakers.html
Rubinstein, M. (2013, October 14). The Violent Life of a Crime-thriller Writer. The
Huffington Post. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-rubinstein/the-violent-life-of-acri_b_4098005.html
Solomon, B. (2014, February 18). Netflix Binge: 'House Of Cards' Season Two
Viewers Surge 8x On Day One. Forbes. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2014/02/18/netflix-binge-houseof-cards-season-two-viewers-surge-8x-on-day-one/

The Impact of Violence on Broadcast Television

WEINMAN, J. J. (2014). Blood on their hands. Maclean's, 127(9), 61.

Mullin 13