The Television Reader: Critical Perspective in Canadian and US Television Studies

The Television Reader: Critical Perspectives in Canadian and US Television Studies is a core text for Television Studies courses taught at the second- and third-year level. With 27 chapters divided into four parts, our text brings together exciting and contemporary writing in the field of Canadian and US television studies. The Television Reader includes introductory essays and two brand new chapters written by the editors, as well as 25 previously published articles. The selection of material covers economic, genre, historical, political, technological, and theoretical characteristics of Canadian and US television.

The first part of the text, 'Theorizing Television,' discusses theoretical approaches to studying television as a cultural form, a genre, and a mode of communication. Part II, 'History and Characteristics of TV Broadcasting in Canada and the US,' contains readings discussing the similarities and differences, from political and economic perspectives, that shape Canadian and US television. Part III, 'TV Genre: Contexts and Textual Analysis,' includes trendy, relevant readings on genre in television. The fourth part, 'Emerging Trends in Television Studies,' examines the future of both general television and Canadian television. Finally, each part is accompanied by suggestions for further reading and chapter-specific discussion questions to further student engagement and understanding.

Tanner Mirrlees is Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University. His areas of research include political and economic structures, institutions, policies, and practices that influence and are influenced by technology and media systems in society. He has been published in international journals and is in the process of completing two books. Tanner was awarded the Governor General's Gold Medal in 2008.

Joseph Kispal-Kovacs is a full-time instructor in Film Studies and Humanities at York University. Since 1997, he has been the course director and instructor for York's course on Film, Television, and Society. He has written two books on film and television and has published articles in collections from the University of Toronto Press and the journal Border/Lines.