Degree
Master of Arts
Program
Media Studies
Supervisor
Carole Farber
Abstract
This thesis explores the changing relationship between fans and producers of television. The traditional hegemonic relationship between these two groups has changed in the digital age giving fans more access to the production process than ever before. Television is under some duress to remonetise itself in the changing landscape. The cultural, media, and communication theories of Bourdieu, Fairclough, D’Acci, and Jenkins, among others, can help to shed light on the dynamics of this relationship and help to understand how it has changed in recent years. While many studies have examined fan communities and fan cultural production, this thesis will focus on how fan interaction has influenced the production of Supernatural through a close reading of the text of the show. As the television industry increasingly seeks to engage and retain audience members, an understanding of how this new relationship influences the very fabric of television becomes a timely one.
Recommended Citation
Macklem, Lisa, "We’re on This Road Together: The Changing Fan/Producer Relationship in Television as Demonstrated by Supernatural" (2013). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1748.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1748