Week 9

What role does Hills ( 2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV?

Hill (2004) states that cult TV can be neither made nor promoted as such by the media industry, but instead hinges vitally on audience take-up and devotion, in other words, it is made by the contribution of audience's passion to a TV show. Then she continues to points out that fans of cult TV have played a part in generically re-organising TV programmes into the category of cult. This huge role which fans play in the construction of cult TV is also the definition of cult TV. First of all, fans organise TV programmes into an 'intertextual network' that is not recognisable as an industry-led, generic grouping. Second, fans self-consciously use the term 'cult' to describe these networks of texts as distinctive. Third, fans of what is termed cult TV have organised themselves socially into 'Appreciation Societies'. Finally, fans of cult TV create a market for memorabilla, merchandise and props that relates to their much-loved TV shows, even long after the cancellation and mass-merchandizing of these shows. Therefore, according to Hills, it seems clear that fans transform certain TV programmes into cults.

How is new media central to this?

Fan activities are carried out both online and in real life. Many of them do via internet; through social networking sites, blogs, and many web pages available. As Kirsten Pullen (2000) has noted, the Internet may have begun to mainstream fandom. More of are created and gathered online as a new form of social community day by day.

Reference

Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R.C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.