News Meghan markle, marrying harry and the invictus games only mentioned because if this

[anonymous]

I don't have cable. I get my news all online. I asked a friend who watches all right leaning news and he has never heard of it. Maybe my liberal news isn't all bad.

 

[Neverthesame]

Demand Determines Supply!" Isn't that fact the main tier of business at all?

I believe this certainly plays a large part in it, though I don't think it's the only factor governing this. I think cost, effort and time are also involved.

I could be totally wrong here, but I think that as much as demand dictates supply, we the consumers are dependent on the companies which produce and distribute media content to provide us with a product. What I feel makes this different from other consumer markets is that we don't know exactly what we want. We want "entertainment". It's up to the industry to figure out what that content should consist of.

For reasons I can't fathom, people like reality tv. In this specific situation you have two sources of viable reality tv material. The royal engagement and the Invictus games. It wouldn't be that difficult to sell the games to an audience, but instead the royals are the total focus, while the games were literally reduced to a backdrop.

Here's where I think the money and time comes into the equation. To sell the games, months prior to the event, a production company would need to meet and interview many of the participants, select the ones who have the right "personality". Then they would have to fill out back story (Where did they serve? What branch? How were they wounded? Do they have a family? What is their motivation for wanting to compete in the event? Ect, ect, ect.) giving the audience a reason to emotionally attach to these individual's. Then launch a advertising campaign to entice an audience to watch. The attendance of Prince Harry and his now fiancé at the event could also be used to draw a audience from a wider demographic. There is also an opportunity for merchandising.

This of course takes time, effort and money to prepare. The reasons I think they didn't do this is because the event would be likely seen as a bit of a gamble for a production company. There's the risk that it may not draw an audience and bomb the ratings. (That would be tragic).
It's expensive. If somthing delays the event, that could lose a good portion of viewers who find something else to watch, then forget to check back again. It doesn't have much longevity as it's an annual event. When it ends, the majority of the audience will likely stop following it until the next one.

Now, the Prince and fiancé has upsides that have less to do with consumer demand, but saving money, time and effort.
It's a guaranteed sell. No matter what the occasion, people will buy into it, even if just to scoff at it.
Very little background is needed, the focus being a member of the royal family. Everything about them is aldready public knowledge, so very little information gathering is needed. They can just regurgitate what another "celeb" show already said. There is a fair bit of longevity in the lead up to the wedding. Hell, Prince William and his wife, are still on the cover of at least one magazine every month.
Media content about the royal family, is cheap, easy, quick to produce and financially lucrative. No risk, low cost and high return.

That's why I think the prince completely stole the show, out from his under his own show.

Finally. (Thank god, this was longer than I expected) When faced with the choice of the two reality events. I think our media tells us what we should want to watch, By over hyping one thing, while downplaying another, simply to maximise profit for a bunch of greedy, cheap, shallow media executives.
While we as consumers did indeed ask to be entertained. They tell us what we want to watch for our entertainment, by limiting our choices to whatever makes the most money.

Again, I could be wrong, but that's why I think there is more to it than just supply and demand.

 

[Sideways]

JMO but I’m not sure that people being interested in Harry & Megan is such a bad thing. Harry had a pretty massive trauma when his mum was killed, and there were quite a few years there where he really (and publicly) didn’t cope with that very well.

Megan’s a bright girl, and she makes him happy. He seems to be in love. It’s a good news story and it seems to make people feel good watching it unfold. It’s probably time to change channels if popular romance and fashion trends is the only ‘news’ being covered by your preferred media outlet, but giving people good news? Isn’t necessarily such a bad thing.

@Never_falter - if your news is responsible for teaching you that there’s a place called China filled with Chinese people? I think that says more about your education system than it says about your local media!

 

[Never_falter2]

@Ragdoll Circus: Our School System most unfortunately is not very good... but to be very honest... I doubt yours is better. The Americans I have met so far knew next to nothing about my country...apart from the fact that we had Hitler and click heels. Or what do you know about Germany (for example) and where did you learn it from? Most things I learned about the anglosphere I know from the media and actually most of my English skills are from reading English magazines and watching English movies and I have often been surprised when I learned something new about cultural difference.

 

[Sideways]

@Never_falter - did quite a lot of German history at school actually;) I can’t speak to the US education system. Ours is a long way from perfect but we do ok here in Aus. I think geography is one of our strong points!!!

 

[Never_falter2]

Oops, sorry. Did not look at your flag. Sorry. Flags are actually one of the few things I learned about in school. Well, I think they are actually good when it comes to teaching math, chemistry, physics and so on.

Geographie for the younger students is nearly 100 percent German geography and later you can drop the subject.
What do I recall from geography? Country A has a capital city called B and the flag looks like this... so yes, I think I learned a country called China existed but apart from the fact it existed I learned next to nothing about it... I learned nothing about the culture of the countries, what they lived like there and so on... all self taught... and often get surprised because you think our countries are so similar and then they are not.

 

[Never_falter2]

Just interested: what did you learn about German history apart from the third Reich?

 

[Suzetig]

At least Prince Harry's paying it forward, he'll do well as King.

Prince Harry is 5th in line to the throne, 6th once Katherine has her next baby - the chances of him being king are minuscule, hence the lack of concern at him marrying an American divorcee (as opposed to the last royal who went down that road). It also means he has time and energy to devote to causes close to his heart. The Invictus Games is his brain child and he's the driving force behind the event, that's why he was there, not to stage some media friendly introductions to his new partner. He would have been there with or without her, with or without the media.

Im sure they would have been very aware of the unspoken message in him attending a flagship event with her but given it was his baby, he was always going to be there.

 

[Sideways]

what did you learn about German history apart from the third Reich?

I took modern history. Germany played a pretty massive role in the shape of global politics during the 20th century, right through to the fall of the wall.

Am I really being asked to summarise my education from 20 years ago? I think I’m missing your point...

Australia’s population is overwhelmingly influenced by a melting pot of global cultures, so teaching about different cultures from around the globe is a pretty big deal here.

 

[Never_falter2]

But I never blamed Harry of staging some media friendly introduction of his new partner, did I? I just said it was bad what the media made out of it. More about her trousers than about the games... which I think is a bit disrespectful.

I asked @Ragdoll Circus if she thought he planed the first public holding hands at the games on purpose because I thought she implied it... but only because I thought that he would do it to bring more attention to the games... which would be nice...but if he did that it did not work out.

 

[Never_falter2]

@Ragdoll Circus: off topic-This is mega off topic but I would be really interested in what you know about our culture. A while ago I mentioned something common in our culture on a English speaking board and everybody started making fun of me, they simply did not believe me...

If I invited you to my house, what would you do? What would you bring? How would you greet me? What would be topics that would be okay for a conversation?
I could answer none of those questions for Australia.

 

[Sideways]

If I invited you to my house, what would you do? What would you bring? How would you greet me? What would be topics that would be okay for a conversation?

Ah, okay. So that’s the thing that I do really like about our education system.

Even without taking modern history specifically? One of the things that kids get taught about from the get-go is how massively different world cultures are. I remember being taught origami in grade 2, how to make welsh cakes in grade 3, and celebrating Ramadan in year 8. One of the things our education system is really big on? Is how different we all are.

So if you invited me round to your house? My school education has taught me that things will probably be really different. Do I know the ins and outs of every culture on earth? Nup. Pointless to even try and teach that to kids. What kids can understand? Is that different houses, different families? Do lots and lots of stuff differently, and not only is that something that I don’t need to be frightened of - it’s actually pretty cool and kind of exciting.

My education has taught me that if I go to Germany, or Vietnam, or Turkey, or Zimbabwe, things will be different. My normal won’t be their normal, and that’s a wonderful thing. That’s what I learnt at school, and that’s the attitude I’d have if I got invited to your house. I know that it’ll be different, and I know that the differences are a good thing.