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How TV Is Shifting Its Programming Strategies to Fit the Age of Trump

Dec 16, 2016  •  Post A Comment

The presidential election victory by Donald Trump has had a ripple effect among television programmers and studios, who have been busy adapting to the new reality, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Over at ABC, entertainment chief Channing Dungey acknowledges that the rise of Trump and his blue-collar support forced her to question whether her programming was too focused on upper-income brackets,” THR reports. “Similar check-ins have taken place across the TV industry as executives try to better understand and appeal to a demographic to which many hadn’t paid enough attention.”

“Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris, who already had a project in the works about politically opposite pundits who fall in love, said he has begun seeking out right-wing voices for the writers room. Barris is quoted in the report saying: “There was no way I wanted to do something that was going to further the divide in this country.”

ABC Studios chief Patrick Moran is quoted in the piece saying: “In years past, it would be very easy to let one side feel like the cartoon and have the show assume that the audience is siding with the other.”

We encourage readers to go to THR by clicking on the link above to read the full analysis.

6 Comments

  1. Once again, watch as networks insult their public; no matter what they think upper-income people supported Trump too.

    The mindset of “Oh, only those factory workers supported him, we intelligent people didn’t” seems quite prevalent in television.

  2. So, they reason it’s time to dumb down their broadcasts further. More reality and game shows, and fewer deep dramas. The news will be afraid of the administration and, will become more shallow and with more distracting, bloody and fluff pieces, rather than dig into our new administration and what they’re doing.

  3. I live in the flyover zone. Game of Thrones is popular with all segments. This is an example that good programming works. Look at late night tv and you can see what doesn’t work. I know almost no one that likes the tilt of those programs to the left and watch other things like HGTV where there’s no political discussion or jokes at all

  4. Just further evidence that “the elites” have really no clue whatsoever. “Blackish” is hilarious and a great show. But to think “Oh, by gosh and by golly, we gotta go find some “right wing” thinkin’ guys” to write for this new-planned comedy just shows how far from “reality” some of these elites are.

    • I agree, no need to dumb down tv any further. Although I think the term elites is overused and misused, after all you don’t get anymore elite than the President Elect.

  5. If you want an example of a good, well written blue collar show, look no further than “The Middle”. The show deals with the struggle of a family working paycheck to paycheck, yet is hilarious. It does not talk down to the audience. Instead using intelligence and situations to find the humor it struggling to get by. More shows like this please!.

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