More from Stephen Grant
Honor Flight: Recognizing our War Heroes
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From: Stephen Grant
Most World War II veterans didn’t receive accolades or experience the infamous New York City ticker-tape parade most Americans are familiar with in well-circulated photos and ...
Duffy's Ark
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From: Stephen Grant
In the wake of the recent historic floods hitting the Midwest many families have been left homeless. For one Iowa family, the nightmare that landed them in a shelter started ...
Under The Ruler
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From: Stephen Grant
Can a seven-year-old Catholic schoolboy survive ruler-wielding nuns, the mischievous antics of a troublesome twin brother and a mother who wants to be Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis?
The Final Taboo: an Interview with Indie Filmmaker Caveh Zahedi
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From: Stephen Grant
Indie filmmaker Caveh Zahedi discusses the ups and downs of putting his real-life sex addiction on the screen. [Audio is temporarily not available but will be posted soon]
America's New Favorite Pastime
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From: Stephen Grant
What happens to a small Iowa town when a mega-casino takes up residence?
Poetry Unbound
(00:18:29)
From: Stephen Grant
International poet Mani Rao, a recent writer-in-residence at the University of Iowa International Writing Program, has received world-wide recognition for her poetry. She ...
Soul Savers in The Big Easy
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From: Stephen Grant
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, three men remained behind to rescue those stranded in New Orleans's Seventh Ward.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Reality TV: a Turn On or a Turn Off? is a Vox Pop that explores the multiple perceptions people have about reality TV and whether or not it actually reflects life as we live it. Can it be viewed as simply an over-the-top portrayal of fabricated, scripted scenarios created for the sole purpose of in-home entertainment? This public opinion VP represents a wide range of views from the reality of the Iraq war and the atrocities in the Sudan to the dirtiness of one of reality TV's first shows, The Real World. (Music is used to underscore the contrasting emotional elements within the Vox Pop, and the lyrics of the closing song capture the overall relationship between society and reality TV).
Broadcast History
Reality TV: a Turn on or a Turn Off? Aired on Weekend America: Iowa Edition, October, 2005.
Timing and Cues
Suggested Lead-In:
The Real World, Survivor, The Apprentice and America's Next Top Model; Reality TV programs serving up a plate of reality guaranteed to satisfy the biggest voyeuristic appetites. Could these visual delectable's just be full of empty calories? What do people really think about reality programs? Are they realistic representations our world or more like the circus, where under the Big-Top a ringmaster invites you into a world of magic and illusion?
In this next piece we go to Iowa City to hear what some people truly think of reality TV when asked, "Reality TV, a Turn On, or a Turn off?"
(A lengthy music tail continues following the end of the VP, at 06:30).
Musical Works
Music used in this Vox Pop comes from the film score, "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control" and the film score from "Alegria."
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