TELEVISION
Since the introduction of television in Australia in 1956, American programs have dominated the networks and presented an American way of life to Australians, which has influenced changes to the Australian culture (Pearson History, 2013). Throughout the 1950’s American and Australian societies were in a very prosperous position, after the Second World War. The United States had emerged from the end of this war as a dominant global superpower, which put them in a perfect place to export their products to the world, including Australia (Skwirk, 2014). The American Library of Congress (2014) refers to America building their economic base in the post war years, therefore making them more affluent and powerful. Established in the 1940’s, America’s television industry was more reputable compared to Australia, who had only just discovered the wonders of television (Pearson History, 2013). Between in the years of 1956 and 1963, almost all content screened on Australian television was from imported from overseas. An estimated 83% of this content was from the United States (Swirk, 2014). Educational resource, Skwirk (2014), summed up the result of this American dominance on Australian screens, in the 1950’s, by stating, “The representation of Australian characters and issues was far outweighed by representations of the American way of life.” The portrayal of idyllic American families and settings, dealt with American themes, and weren’t necessarily relevant ideal to the lives of young Australians. By 1965, nine years after the introduction of television in Australia, approximately 9 out of 10 Australian households owned a television and programming from the United States continued to dominate the networks (Pearson History, 2013). The power of television as an influence on the Australian culture and identity was soon realised by the government in the late 1960’s, and the law to impose a local content quota was introduced in order to support the Australian television industry (Skwirk, 2014). Results of this law were evident in the following decades of the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s. The Australian Broadcasting Association, a primary source concerning Australia’s television laws, stipulates “55 per cent of all drama, documentary and children's TV on free-to-air television must be made locally” (Moynihan, 2003). A steady flow of highly popular American programs continued to make their way onto Australian screens; however the ratio of American to Australian content began to level. In 1980, eight out of ten of the most popular programs were Australian productions (Pearson History, 2013). Today, the American television culture is still evident and recognizable with the mention of Oprah, Dr. Phil, The Kardashians or The Simpsons. A Roy Morgan survey conducted between 2009 and 2011 studied the top ten most loved shows on Australian television, with the results demonstrating that just three of top ten were locally made (Meade, 2011). This survey corroborates Australia’s history of screening American television shows and proves that they continue to be the more popular option in recent years, despite the option of locally produced shows. Len Downs (2003), a program manager for Channel Nine, stated that “High-rating American programs as Friends, ER and Frasier had not been to the detriment of the Australian industry… The challenge is to find a balance between Australian programs and lucrative American programs.” He also went on to note, “Channel Nine, Seven and Ten all produced Australian dramas this year and, although not as successful as hoped, it meant Australians could choose to watch locally-made TV” (Moynihan, 2003). Both of these primary sources corroborate to prove that today Australians are being presented with locally made television productions, but are often opting to watch American programs. The prevalence of American television programs in Australia has influenced the Australian identity by providing clear imagery and projections of the American way of life and culture, which has led Australians to adopt aspects of the American pop culture into their lifestyle, such as what films or television programs to watch and what the idyllic lifestyle, presented through these shows, should resemble.
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Below is a video from secondary source Channel 7 News, flashing back to television in Australia in 1959, using primary sources...
Below is a primary source video displaying a variety of television sources from Australia in the 1960's...
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