permission to scream
I’m a little late in posting this, but I wanted to remark on Bravo’s purchase of TV message board, Television Without Pity. TWoP’s message boards offer lively discussion of television programming, often with an anti-establishment bent. As Time TV critic James Poniewozik points out, media conglomerates like Time Warner and General Electric don’t expect their products to speak with a unitary voice – just think of the way “30 Rock” consistently lampoons the culture at GE. However, Poniewozik contends that the ownership structure may make things a little tricky for TWoP, since the Bravo organization will own the message board directly. With this arrangement, it seems more likely that Bravo might shepherd the content and discussions in ways that are favorable to its programming.
For its party TWoP says it will remain independent. In an announcement, TWoP said “We’ll still provide snarky recaps, and you’ll still be able to visit the virtual water-cooler of the forums” but partnering with Bravo will allow it to expand its offerings of content. I’m not much of a TWoP reader, so I’ll take their word for it, and let others follow the changes.
My problem with this arrangement is not so much about Bravo influencing content on TWoP, but the issue of users owning their own writing. If I were a loyal contributor, I would think that I would resent having my work be used for a major media conglomerate. Granted, I’m a user of the Yahoo!-owned Flickr and del.icio.us, but I balance their ownership with how useful I find the services. On the other hand, there are plenty of places online where people can discuss television (like a blog) and the design of TWoP’s message boards are not particularly innovative. What TWoP offers is a community with an independent spirit, and I do wonder if the site is betraying the people who created the community by turning an indie site into a shill for Bravo.
