<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The present article suggests that the brief history of Western television news dramaturgy can be expounded as three major waves: from the early days of the talking heads in the studio, over the narrativization of the field report to a (re-)current studio- and field-based talking heads format. In order to analyze the latest development entering the third wave, we propose a theoretically based dramaturgical model for the television news item. The analysis concludes that, with the current ‘return’ of the talking heads format, the pre-produced and pre-packaged bulletin program about past events is dissolving and transforming into an evaluative present- and future-oriented update format that resembles the 24-hour newsonly channels. Production time merges with broadcast time so that the uncertainty of live spreads to the dramaturgy.</p></abstract>

The present article suggests that the brief history of Western television news dramaturgy can be expounded as three major waves: from the early days of the talking heads in the studio, over the narrativization of the field report to a (re-)current studio- and field-based talking heads format. In order to analyze the latest development entering the third wave, we propose a theoretically based dramaturgical model for the television news item. The analysis concludes that, with the current ‘return’ of the talking heads format, the pre-produced and pre-packaged bulletin program about past events is dissolving and transforming into an evaluative present- and future-oriented update format that resembles the 24-hour newsonly channels. Production time merges with broadcast time so that the uncertainty of live spreads to the dramaturgy.

Return of the Talking Heads

Centre for Journalism, University of Southern Denmark

Journalistic Lecturer, Centre for Journalism, University of Southern Denmark

Nordicom Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Entering the Third Wave of Television News Dramaturgy

The present article suggests that the brief history of Western television news dramaturgy can be expounded as three major waves: from the early days of the...

Return of the Talking Heads

Publié en ligne: 15 juin 2016

Pages: 43 - 56

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nor-2016-0008

Mots clés
dramaturgy, live interview, narrative, television journalism, television news item, television news report

© by Kenneth Reinecke Hansen

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Return of the Talking Heads

Publié en ligne: 15 juin 2016

Pages: 43 - 56

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nor-2016-0008

Mots clésdramaturgy, live interview, narrative, television journalism, television news item, television news report

© by Kenneth Reinecke Hansen

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Mots clés
dramaturgy, live interview, narrative, television journalism, television news item, television news report