Creating the Viewer

Justin Wyatt is an associate professor of communication studies, film/media, and journalism at the University of Rhode Island, the author of multiple books, including High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood, and co-editor of Screening American Independent Film and Refocus: The Later Films and Legacy of Robert Altman.

• Preface Part I: Introduction 1. Considering Viewership 2. The Terrain of Media Market Research: Partners, Projects & Collaboration Part II: The Battery of Media Market Research Studies 3. Pilot Testing & Series Maintenance Appendix to Chapter 3 4. Brand Alignment & Derailment Appendix to Chapter 4 5. Talent Testing & Media Research: Gauging Awareness & Connection Appendix to Chapter 5 6. Ideation & Content Co-creation Appendix to Chapter 6 Part III: Rethinking the Viewer 7. The (Manipulated) Performance of Market Research 8. A Corrective for Media Market Research & You Appendix to Chapter 8 Acknowledgments Glossary Notes Works Cited Index

A smart study of television market research written by a veteran researcher. It offers a legit insider’s view of a complex topic. (The Film Stage) Creating the Viewer is vast in scope, content, and firsthand knowledge, making for an impressive exploration of an underresearched corner of the media industry. (Film Quarterly) A thoughtful contribution to its subject. (CHOICE) Wyatt conducts a uniquely informed examination of how the television industry has traditionally constructed its audience, how recent changes in culture and technology challenge those traditional methods, and how the industry might effectively adapt to those changes. Along the way, the reader learns much about how the business of television works and how its insiders understand their relationships to the viewing public. The book is an important contribution to the study of today’s popular culture, valuable especially for its up-to-date exploration of a rapidly changing media landscape. (Popular Culture Studies Journal)