Core Response #1: My Issue with Hendershot's Understanding of 'Niche' (Phil Miller)

While reading the Heather Hendershot document, I was bothered by one of the claims that she mentions about niches and the concept of a cultural forum that she seems to understand in only a network broadcasting context.  During the article, she states that "Confrontation was central to the cultural forum model and, thus, specific to the network era; in a niche-viewing environment, however, viewers tend to gravitate to content that matches their preexisting interests.  Narrowly targeted niche TV thus provides “Self-confirmation,” leaving little room for the old cultural forum ideal of ideas in conflict" (Hendershot 205-206). I do agree that we’re in an age of where the consumer has a greater agency where we can choose content based on our personal experiences and tastes.  However, I have an issue with Heather's statement of the cultural forum in a niche dynamic for a couple of reasons.  

First, there’s been problems when it comes to the idea of ‘niches’ as a method of marketing content that has created in-group conflict.  One example is the LGBTQ community as further elaborated by Anthony Freitas.  In his article “Gay Programming, Gay Publics” he writes a convincing argument addressing the benefits and pitfalls of niche cable content to the LGBTQ community. Many argue the content of such cable channels views such a group as white, cis-gendered, male, and middle to upper-class.  Freitas argues that “the representation of a unitary lesbian and gay market niche erases much of the variation within and between these communities” (Freitas 225).  The representation itself manifests in the lack of addressing Transgender issues, class discrepancies, and sexualized racism of queer people of color within the community.  
Second, the utilization of social media has allowed for various interest groups to participate in the process and conflict of ideas within niches even resulting in changes of particular programs.  One example is the reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race where online activists such as Kat Blaque and Jayson Flores have all provided quality critiques of the program.  They both make the point, and to which I agree with as a fan of the show, that even though they appreciate what RuPaul has achieved and they love the show because it provides queer programming that is lacking, they still notice problematic elements. Both have discussed the appropriation of class-specific blackness by contestants of the show to help with their progression through the run of a season and the racism that is rampant on social media by the fans themselves.  An example from the reality show where internet backlash contributed to the changing of the structure within the show is a mini-challenge that used the term ‘Tranny’ in a derogatory sense.  So while I appreciate the article by Heather Hendershot I couldn’t help but express my frustration from how I think the original ideal of the cultural forum has not disappeared, but much more prevalent now than ever.

Work Cited

Freitas, Anthony.  “Gay Programming, Gay Publics: Public and Private Tensions in Lesbian and

    Gay Cable Channels.”  Cable Visions: Television Beyond Broadcasting, edited by Sarah

    Banet-Weser, Cynthia Chris, and Anthony Freitas, NYU Press, 2007, pp. 215-233.  

Hendershot, Heather.  “Parks and Recreation: The Cultural Forum.”  How to Watch Television,

    edited by Jason Mittel and Ethan Thompson, NYU Press, 2013, pp. 204-212.