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The following is a Medianote Classic. It was first presented on Nov. 25, 2013.

Norwegian TV is apparently quite different. We have TV shows about cops, robbers, teenage sexpots and vampires. They have TV shows about knitting. Are they just desperate for shows, or are they redefining the idea of what a TV show is? NPR reports.

Questions...

•How often do you give TV your undivided (or nearly undivided) attention?

•When is watching TV a stimulating activity?

•When is watching TV a soothing activity?

•When does TV let you experience something?

•In the future, when there are an unlimited number of channels, will television be a companion medium, like radio?

Is News Just Another Reality Show?

China is rapidly modernizing. This is undoubtedly good for the economic well-being of many, and it also has led to rapid cultural changes. One of those cultural changes is how the Chinese news media is showing a decidedly Western tendency to spotlight whatever (and whoever) is flashy and outrageous, but not necessarily important.

National Public Radio recently ran a story on the changing tastes of China's news media. This will be the springboard to our first MediaNote discussion of the Fall 2013 semester.

Questions...

•What is news and why does it matter?

•Does news in the U.S. do anything besides entertain people? If so, what else does it do?

•Why not publish or broadcast just serious, important news stories? What would likely happen to that news organization?

•Do any of the silly or seemingly trivial stories mentioned in the NPR piece make a serious point? If so, what?

Redefining Television

What makes video entertainment television? And will video entertainment developed for smart phones and tablet devices be recognizably television, or will it be something else?

We will not have to wait long for answers to these questions. Makers of television shows and movies are now hard at work defining what video entertainment for the small screen will look like. The Los Angeles Times reports.

Questions...

•Is TV slowly dying?

•Is going to the movies slowly dying?

•What is a good length for a video episode made for smart phones and tablets?

•How else is video entertainment using the internet? How do these things enhance the main video?

Buffoon Dad

Do you wonder what gets into some parents? Why do they shove their precious little kids into the mass media glare where they get dehumanizing nicknames like Balloon Boy? And why do reputable news organizations fall all over themselves covering these dubious, amped-up stories?

Inquiring minds want to know.

The Los Angeles Times ran a story the other day that seeks to unravel this peculiar form of nuttiness.