The Broadcast Century and Beyond

The New Century: The 2000s

The new century is just a few years old but tumultuous events occurring in its infancy are likely to shape our destiny for quite a few years. The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on that fall day in 2001 will forever be remembered as a tragedy by Americans. The BBC website “Day of Terror” gives a complete account of the events. The September 11 Digital Archive uses electronic media to collect and preserve the history of September 11, 2001. Shortly after, the United States invaded Afghanistan to unseat the Taliban government, which was suspected of harboring Osama Bin Laden. The Joyner Library site provides a complete set of links about the War on Terrorism.

As the century began, Enron (from Time.com) and WorldCom declared bankruptcy, destabilizing the financial markets and adding to the growing unemployment line. Scandals at Tyco and Adelphia rocked Wall Street. The economic recession and unemployment prompted the Bush Administration to call for tax cuts as a means of stimulating the economy.

In his State of the Union address in 2002, President Bush announces that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction that could be used against the U.S. During the Bush Administration, this claim is used to push for military action. Few media organizations attempt to verify claims that Iraq poses a threat to American security. Susan Moeller's article in YaleGlobal Online provides some interesting insights.

President Bush declares war on Iraq in March 2003. Though Bush proclaims an end to major combat operations, in May 2003, insurgents continue to resist the U.S. led occupation of Iraq. Interestingly, no weapons of mass destruction are found. By January, 2005 more than 1300 Americans had lost their lives. The CBC has a very informative site about Iraq. Media coverage of the war is extensive as reporters are “embedded” with troops in the field. Public sentiment in 2004 reflects growing concern that the war was not going as planned.

In 2008, President Barack Obama was elected. Watch his Inaugural Address on the White House Web site. Media companies continued to merge and grow. Time-Warner merged with AOL to form the world’s largest media corporation. NBC bought Universal Studios from Vivendi and Comcast merged with AT&T cable to form the largest cable MSO. Look at Journalism.Org’s site on Media Ownership and Deregulation.

Some new technologies take America by storm. Satellite radio from XM Satellite Radio and Sirius grow to more than 4 million listeners by the end of 2004. The two companies would later merge to create a single satellite radio network in the United States, combining a total of more than 18.5 million subscribers.

Apple iPods become the “must have” music player and iPodcasting begins on the Internet. Apple iPhones give the consumer instant web accessibility and a multitude of multimedia functions – the average individual becomes nearly constantly “connected.”

High definition and plasma screen TVs are everywhere in stores and new DVDs are introduced that can record and play in high definition. Television programming takes a decidedly “realistic” turn. In the first half of the decade, shows like Survivor, The Apprentice, Fear Factor, Extreme Makeover, and The Amazing Race do well on the broadcast networks. These give way to newer shows like American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, that all attract record breaking viewership.

Animated prime time continued its popularity with The Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park.

On cable Queer Eye, The Osbournes, Real World, and Project Runway do well for their networks. Vampires become all the rage with books like Stephanie Meyer’s Twilightand the HBO series True Blood capture the attention of a wide ranging demographic.

CSI in all its different forms are top contenders for ratings while NBC’s West Wing, Fox’s 24 and ABC’s Lost are favorites among critics. HBOs original series The Sopranos, Sex in the City and Angels in America garner many. (Links here take you to the various show websites.)

The Internet increasingly becomes a focal point for individuals and groups. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and MySpace create social media networks where anybody and everybody can have an online presence.