Track your television viewing for one week. (If you don’t watch television, WATCH SOME!!) What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about television? What does television provide you (fulfillment of a need -- See Chapter 15)?

I realized that I watch a lot of TV. A lot of it is for social reasons I think. My roommates and other people are constantly coming over and wanting me to watch some shows with them. I figured that I average about 2 hours of TV watching a day, which is more than I thought I watched. There just always seems to be some sports game or television show that everyone wants to throw a little party and watch together. I think that the need that I get most with television si the the fulfillment of social expectations that other people have for me.

Critiques argue that in trying to “offend no one,” the networks tend to offer TV programs that appeal to the “lowest common-denominator.” Do you agree? Can you name programs that are definitely for the LCD? Can you think of any network (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, CW) programs that defy the LCD label? Explain.

I think that a lot of the mainstream shows do try to appeal to the lowest common denominator. I was watching the Survivor Reunion show and they were talking about the portrayal of different contestants and whether the contestants thought that their portrayal was accurate or what they would have wanted to see. One girl said that she liked the "edit" of one contestant a lot better than her own. Jeff Probst immediately told her to stop using production terms I guess because he felt that the lowest common denominator would not be able to understand or piece together what she meant by "edit". His reaction was interesting to me and i think that this case evidences the fact that TV shows do tailor themelves to the lowest common denominator. A lot of times i feel insulted as a viewer that the creators so greatly underestimate my intellegence.