Are Entertainment Programs in Trouble?

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Entertainment programs dominate the small screen every day, but despite the interest and popularity, some shows are going through hard times.

Does their sheer abundance mean it's OK to make mistakes, or do the producers need to concentrate on not only following recent trends, but also consider fairness and the public good?

Reality or Fake

When comedian Jung Jun-ha refused to cooperate with a chef during a cooking session on the popular television show "Infinity Challenge" (MBC), the viewers had enough.

They posted their opinions on the program's Web site, some saying that they felt uncomfortable watching him argue with the professional who was there to help him, while others said it was the producer's fault to air the show without properly editing the scenes that may come across as discomforting.

Jung later expressed his apologies through the program, saying that he was sorry and he simply wanted to make the show more interesting.

"The personalities viewers see show just one side of the many characteristics the members have. They possess that faculty, so you can't say it's fiction or a lie", Kim Jae-hyuk, the producer of fellow entertainment show "I Love Sunday" (SBS) said, adding that the show simply extenuated their personality to come up with a distinctive character.

Another topic related to television shows that made headlines on numerous Internet search engines was the "loser" incident. Lee Do-kyung from Hongik University made a remark during KBS's talk show "Chitchat of Beauties", saying that men under 180 centimeters are losers. Netizens who watched the show bombarded the Web page and the student's homepage after the remark.

The issue heated up as Lee explained on her homepage that she simply followed the script and that although she was not obliged to follow it, she was so nervous that she mostly followed the lines throughout the show. The script writers defended themselves, saying that although there was a script, the cast was not forced to follow it.

Having a script in these so-called "reality programs" may seem like faking, but producers have openly expressed the need.

"We need scripts to decide the boundaries of the character's activities. We write a script offering the basic framework, and the members move freely within that frame", Kim said.



A while ago, singer Kim Jong-guk and the makers of "Family is Out" (SBS) also appeared on the public's radar after Kim caught a red sea bream during a fishing shoot. Netizens complained that it was impossible for an amateur fisher to catch the fish and also that it was already dead when Kim took it out of the water. The producers did not comment nor offer an explanation.

"Having scripts is fine, I understand. But if that fish was really not caught by Kim, after the program showed how excited he was after catching it, then that's a lie", Han Soo-kyung, a viewer who watched the episode, said.

Entertainment and More

Many entertainment shows may have started small with the members playing games and challenging themselves in various situations, but some viewers have identified that they need something more than lame amusement.

"They are fun to watch and it's a good way to release stress, but that's it. It's like how they refer to television: the idiot box", Kim So-yeon, a regular viewer, said.

Thus, many programs have started to incorporate meaning into their shows.

"Infinity Challenge" is a popular example, with the members helping with harvesting crops and making calendars to help underprivileged children and African families. Last year, the calendars they made raised about 2 billion won.

The newly reformed "Sunday Night" (MBC) also made headlines for its meaningful shows last week, including a global donation project "Danbi" and "Our Father". During "Danbi", the hosts flew to Africa to raise awareness of the shortage of clean water for children and women, while in "Our Father", the hosts met Korean fathers who were doing their best to make ends meet for their families.

"Hunters", however, failed in its original premise before it even aired. As a piece under the umbrella of "Sunday Night", the producers originally aimed at capturing, or "hunting", hogs that were threatening villagers and their crops. But when animal lovers and organizations expressed their worries that the program was aimed at hunting down living animals, the broadcast was downsized into a show to heighten awareness.

KBS, a state-run network, came up with more specific guidelines. One of the articles the broadcaster enforces is their "strike out rule". The rule states that when a host or guest uses inappropriate words or clauses three times, they must leave the program.

" I think producers need to think about what is good for the public. There is no definite answer. The truth is that the role entertainment programs have these days has been elevated. It's now evident that these shows have a responsibility for their programs to their viewers and society", Jeong Deok-hyun, a culture critic and columnist, said.
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Members of "Infinite Challenge", one of the most popular weekend entertainment programs airing on MBC. Jeong Jun-ha, second from left, recently came under criticism for his performance.

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