American Consultants and the Marketization of Television News in the United Kingdom

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019038963

DOI 10.3726/b16267

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About the author

Madeleine Liseblad is an assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State’s School of Journalism and Strategic Media and she received her Ph.D. from Arizona State’s Cronkite School. Liseblad has extensive professional experience in journalism and conducts mainly historical research centering on television news.

About the book

American Consultants and the Marketization of Television News in the United Kingdom provides unprecedented insight into American news consultants’ role in reshaping British television news during the 1990s. In 1986, American research and news consulting company Frank N. Magid Associates began infiltrating the British market. Five years later, the company was consulting for an extensive list of British client stations in preparation for the 1991 Independent Television (ITV) franchise auction. Their efforts were controversial, prompting public outcry against the “Americanization” of British television news. Despite the hostile climate, Magid’s efforts were successful. Nine of their eleven client bidders emerged victorious from the franchise auction. This was only the beginning. Throughout the 1990s, Magid employees crisscrossed the country with research studies, business and marketing plans, and writing and storytelling seminars. At the time, this was the company’s largest venture into international television.

American consultants’ work abroad is important. They spread the U.S. model—the origin of today’s on-air style—and changed television news globally by working with indigenous media. Yet, despite their vast influence, limited research has been conducted on their international efforts, largely because of proprietary material. This book is based on unprecedented and unrestricted access to Magid’s archives. In addition, interviews with Magid staff and U.K. journalists allow for a comprehensive examination of the marketization of British television news, attending especially to how news became better tailored to the medium and audience; the key concepts that Magid advocated to be integrated into U.K. news; and the societal forces at play in this transformation.

American Consultants and the Marketization of Television News in the United Kingdom is a recommended read for anyone interested in journalism and television history, Americanization, media economics and sociology.

This eBook can be cited

This edition of the eBook can be cited. To enable this we have marked the start and end of a page. In cases where a word straddles a page break, the marker is placed inside the word at exactly the same position as in the physical book. This means that occasionally a word might be bifurcated by this marker.

List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Research Scope and Approach

1 The American Format: Inviting the Viewer into the Action

2 European and British Broadcasting: Informational Public Service, Fearful of Americanization

3 Crossing the Atlantic: American Consultants Tackling Research, Training; Similarities and Differences between the BBC and ITV

4 The News: All-Encompassing Changes

5 Visibility and Likability: Changing Talent Roles

6 Unstoppable Movement: Strong Societal Forces at Play

7 Good Storytelling: Contextualizing the British Transformation, Surprises and Implications

Appendix

Interview Subjects

Frank N. Magid Associates, Partial Client List

Bibliography

Index

List of Illustrations

Figure 1.1: Lloyd Warner’s diamond-shaped model of social class

Figure 1.2: Frank N. Magid

Figure 3.1: Yorkshire Television Studios, Leeds

Figure 4.1: Newsroom of Calendar, Yorkshire Television’s news program

Figure 5.1: Walter Cronkite

Figure 5.2: Trevor McDonald and John Suchet

Figure 6.1: Kurt Lewin’s force field analysis model

Figure 6.2: Margaret Thatcher at Central Television’s East Midlands TV Center, Nottingham

Preface

Some spend spring break on a sunny beach. I spent spring break 2016 in a dungeon in Marion, Iowa. But it is not as bad as it sounds. For a television news history geek, it was the ultimate spring break party.

This research literally and figuratively arose from the depths of “The Dungeon,” the nickname for the Frank N. Magid Associates archive. Magid—one of America’s leading research and consultancy companies—had previously not allowed external scholars to examine its television material. The information has been considered a trade secret and, therefore, kept private. However, I was given unconditional and unrestricted admittance; the company did not place any restrictions on what materials I collected, nor any restrictions on what I could write. As a result, this book provides a unique and rare insight into news consultants’ methods and recommendations.

The archival material provided the impetus for this book. In addition, in-depth interviews with Magid staff and U.K. journalists—all active in the 1990s—advanced the project, allowing for a comprehensive analysis. This book is distinct in many regards; the material and focus are truly unique. It explains how American consultants worked abroad, how Magid staff members and British journalists experienced changes in television news, and what they saw and felt. The heart of this book is the evolution of television news storytelling.

Overall, news consultants are not well liked. They have been called news doctors, accused of inoculating people with a dumbed down newscast. Furthermore, their recommendations usually result in visible changes and sometimes even firings. They are not welcomed with open arms by broadcast journalists. ←xiv | xv→Consultants are also not popular with most academic researchers. The American influence on worldwide media—often called Americanization or imperialism—is a contested topic with the international scholarly community, as well as a concern for foreign governments. Thus, some of the findings in this book may come as a surprise. As one of the main sources of material—the Magid archive—was previously unavailable, my findings point to some new, interesting conclusions. Every effort was made to let the newly available evidence—the archival material coupled with in-depth interviews—provide a robust accounting for this time of transition in the United Kingdom. However, as the bulk of the primary sourcework came from Magid, this is a book mainly told from the Magid perspective.

Acknowledgments

This research would not have been possible without the admittance to the Frank N. Magid archive. I would like to thank the Magid employees in Marion, Iowa, for their hospitality during my visit. I also want to thank Steve Ridge, Magid’s former chief operating officer, for approving my unrestricted access to the archive. In addition, I owe a thank you to Joe George, a former Magid executive vice president and director of marketing, for facilitating my request for access. Furthermore, I want to acknowledge Dr. Craig Allen at Arizona State University for providing the Magid connection.