Key terms: tent-pole, vertical and horizontal integration, conglomerate, symbol makers (creatives), predictable pleasure, genre, stars.
The Culture Industries
“Hesmondhalgh observes that we have a overproduction of one safe, familiar format – reality TV! Whilst it might appear that these shows are in competition, in fact they are often made by the same big horizontally and vertically integrated media production companies.”
Hesmondhalgh suggest media industries are organised so as to minimise risk and maximise profit.
He also asks us to, ‘Follow the Money.’
Making media is a risky business, it is very costly to make certain types of media like movies and TV, so what does the media industries do?
“A tent-pole production,” is a show or movie that props up less successful ones.
A good example is Lifted Entertainment, which is a horizontally integrated media company. That means Lifted Entertainment makes a whole range of products which are propped up by their tent-pole productions such as Love Island.
However, there is often a three way tension between media creatives or, “symbol makers,” executive producers, the people who drive the demand for profit and audiences who paradoxically demand both novelty and familiarity.
Genre is a way of minimising risk and affording the audience ‘predictable pleasure’ by making shows similar to those with a strong track record – see the proliferation of reality TV as an example. 
They also use ‘stars‘ as established names with established star images as a way of drawing in audiences. For example Love Island’s use of Instagram influencers and the familiar (formulaic) reality show format; panels of judges, confessional booths acting as commentary, audience voting and expulsion of contestants…
The audience will understand the conventions of the form and be drawn in by familiarity. However, audiences are fickle and also demand novelty and so, in that demand for newness, there is space for symbol makers (writers, directors, designers, editors…) to innovate. Nevertheless, if you follow the money you will start to realise that whilst there is an apparent wide selection of choice, Hesmondhalgh observes that we have a overproduction of one safe, familiar format, reality TV and, whilst it might appear that these shows are in competition, in fact they are made by the same big horizontally and vertically integrated media production companies.
A media student’s job is to recognise the tension between creative symbol makers and executives who are demanding the next big hit within a genre or format. Indeed they should ask themselves, ‘Who are and what are the culture industries for?’ Are they for the benefit of society and our culture more broadly or do they exist to generate income for media conglomerates?
What exam or essay can I use this in?
Glossary
- Horizontal integration – Conglomerates seek to own a diversified range of media products in different forms including, music, film, print & games and use this to create synergies.
- Vertical integration – Conglomerates also want to own or control all elements of production, distribution, marketing and exchange / exhibition, in order to minimise costs and support it’s range of different media products.
- Tent-pole production – A successful (profitable) product / genre that props up less successful or new ones.
- Creatives – Media makers who are seeking to innovate and create new films, music stars, TV programmes… However, according to Hesmondhalgh are restricted by executive producers.
- Executive producers – People who control the purse strings of the media and decide what gets made and what doesn’t.