Good TV isn’t always what it implies…Something Good.
Posted by: Craig in Broadcasting, tags: ABC, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Good TVI love good television. Being an aspiring editor/producer I tend to notice bad edits, bad lighting, poorly recorded audio, and other nit-picky things most television watchers don’t pick up on. But even with all the bad, I still enjoy good television.
One of my and my wife’s favorite television programs is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. You can’t help but feel good after watching any episode. The family that is helped always deserves it and the design team always endeavors to provide the family with a great design. It’s good TV - I’d venture to say it’s powerful TV. And it’s been very good to ABC and the shows sponsor Sears. The show is constantly one of the top rated shows week in and week out and and undoubtedly is a big win for Sears who has not only sponsored the show since it’s inception but also provides the bulk the the products that are featured in each home that is built.
But Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is also flawed TV. A few weeks ago the story broke that a family in Georgia that had received a new home from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and less than 4 years later the home was being threatened with foreclosure. I don’t fault ABC for any of this: the family was given a new home, had their previous mortgage paid off and was given a $100,000 cash gift by the home’s builder. And yet the family felt the need to take out a second mortgage on the home (for the home’s entire value) to start a business - a construction business during a time of economic recession. It seems the family has made a deal with their mortgage company to restructure their loan and will be able to remain in their home after all.
But a few other recipients of ABC’s generosity haven’t been so lucky. And this is where good TV becomes flawed. Think about it for a minute: You take a poor family that does not have the means to fix or update their home and what do you do? You give them a larger home to deal with. A larger home means larger utility bills because - well - it’s a larger home and it will take more energy to heat, cool and illuminate. A larger home also means a more valuable home so their property taxes will certainly go up. Sometimes the homeowners previous mortgage is paid off but often it’s not. So the family that couldn’t afford to fix/update/maintain their previous home now has a larger, more expensive home to maintain. When the production lights are turned off, the cameras are packed away and Ty Pennington and his team of designers head off to their next Extreme Makeover, the family is left in the same financial situation they were in before this all started. And on top of that, they are left with a heftier financial burden. But the television viewing public doesn’t see any of that. Until the burden becomes too much and the families need help or worse, decide to sell the home that was provided for them by ABC.
Just ask Eric Hebert of Sandpoint, ID. Less them 2 years ago he and his family received a new 3,600+ sq. ft. home from ABC. Now he’s selling it because point blank, he can’t afford it. The same hold true for this family. And I stumbled upon this as well - check the last comment left on this blog (which happens to be about this same subject). I remember that episode and also remember wondering how on earth that family was going to make that work considering their riding program for developmentally challenged children (which for what it’s worth I believe is a great program) is not for profit? And although I couldn’t find any news stories to corroborate the comment, I did find that the town of Port Deposit, MD has had two fund raising dinners for the family since their new home was built in October 2007.
This phenomenon isn’t unique to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. What about shows like Pimp My Ride, Trick My Truck, and Overhaulin’? Sure, it’s a substantially smaller scale both in viewership and overall cost, but the recipients are still left with something they couldn’t do on their own. Something they’ll now have to afford the insurance on as well as the increased maintenance.
I’m in no way advocating all good TV fit within a mold that is meant to change lives. But when good TV’s intent is to change lives, then if should be for the long term, not just for ratings. When all the cameras are packed away, good TV needs to stay good television. ABC and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition need to ensure that the people they are giving these huge homes to can afford what they are being given. Maybe some of the money ABC puts into the homes would be better suited to providing long term financial stability for these families. As my Mom is keen on saying: you can either buy a fish for a hungry man and feed him for one day - or you can buy him a rod and reel and teach him to fish and he’ll be fed for a lifetime. Good television needs to focus on more than what we the viewing public sees on the screen. Good television needs to make a lasting impact on lives, not provide 15 minutes of fame.
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