The quote I found most intriguing in Herman & Chomsky's essay was, "Advertisers will want, more generally, to avoid programs with serious complexities and disturbing controversies that interfere with the "buying mood." They seek programs that will lightly entertain and thus fit in with the spirit of the primary purpose of program purchases- the dissemination of a selling message" (pg. 269). This quote is more prevalent today than it ever was. It is very easy to see that people want media to cater to their entertainment needs. They want shows that are light spirited. The most watched shows are melodrama's that deal with love triangles and heroic actions. People view television as an escape. When I sit down to watch a show on TV I want to watch something funny and romantic. Our lives are so filled with heartache and pain that we want to sink into this "fake" world were everything turns out good in the end.
The second part of this quote is very interesting to me. The fact that advertisers pick shows that will work into their "buying mood" is seen in all of the top programs. I just recently started watching LOST. I am amazed how much that show is selling a message. The interactive website, magazine and clothing are just a few of the ways this show is culturally connecting people. A couple of my friends are big LOST fans as well and whenever we get together we start talking about LOST. This example can be connected to Jenkin's ideas of media convergence and participatory culture. The advertisers of LOST definitely had this idea of dissemination of a selling message. LOST is so successful because it has a distinct “buying mood”. Most of the viewers are probably unaware that they are buying into the advertisers selling message or they probably enjoy the entertainment so much they ignore the underlying message of the advertisers.
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