Back in 1981, a report from National Economic Research Associates asked a pointed question about the new opportunities of cable television:
Will Cable Save the Arts?
The buzz about cable back then was that it opened a wealth of new channels and flows for all kinds of content. Broadcast television had been a horribly narrow pipe, with only three major networks, and a necessary rush to the lowest common denominator. With cable and its dozens (now hundreds) of channels, some thought, surely some would be dedicated to the traditional arts, providing audiences, access, and revenue streams to the cultural world.
If that moment ever did exist, this article on the evolution of the A&E network (which used to mean ‘Arts & Entertainment’) suggests that it has passed.
”Classic arts programs, whether theater or ballet, are not where our network is going,” says Bob DeBitetto, A&E’s executive vice president of programming. ”Our tagline now is the art of entertainment.”Fans of drawing-room mysteries may shudder at the new formula, but the ratings tell another story: A&E’s makeover is working. In the first quarter of this year, A&E was the fastest-growing cable network among two coveted groups, 18- to 34-year-olds and 18- to 49-year-olds.
Despite what seemed to be a vast number of channels, the pipeline was apparently still too small…leading market forces and tight advertising margins to consume the missions of even the most noble efforts for full-time arts channels.
For a decade now, there’s been a similar strand of hope and hype about the role of the Internet in advancing the arts. But we’re just beginning to see the corporate and commercial crowding of that space, as well. The question might now be:
Will the Internet Save the Arts?
Ask me again in another decade.
