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| | Encyclopedia of Television (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-03) |
 | | Reality Television (U.S) "Reality television" is a label that encompasses a wide range of non-fiction formats including gamedocs, makeover programs, talent contests, docusoaps, dating shows, court programs, tabloid newsmagazine shows, and reality-based sitcoms. |
 | | Yet, the genre's overarching characteristic is its claim to "the real" which it works to underscore through its aesthetic strategies (use of cinema verité techniques, surveillance video, low-end production values, or "natural settings"), its relentless obsession with the intimate, and its tendency to focus on ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. |
 | | While not a popular strategy for American television, European versions of reality programs sold a service that would keep fans on top of program developments with regular SMS updates sent to their cell phones. |
| www.routledge-ny.com /ref/television/realitytv.html (1299 words) |
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