A television programme becomes a text when it activates
(A) profit motivates
(B) meanings
(C) producers
(D) channels
Correct Ans: (B)
Explanation:
In media studies, a television programme becomes a text when it does more than just entertain or inform—it activates meanings that viewers can interpret. This transformation happens the moment content starts carrying cultural, social, or ideological messages that people can decode in different ways.
Let’s simplify that. When you watch a show, you’re not just watching images and dialogue. You’re absorbing symbols, values, and signs that carry deeper meanings. For example, a soap opera doesn’t just show drama—it might reflect social class, gender roles, or moral conflicts. That’s when it turns into a “text”—not a written one, but a media text full of layered messages.
This process aligns with the semiotic approach to media. According to theorists like Roland Barthes and Stuart Hall, any media product becomes a “text” when people engage with it through interpretation. Hall’s encoding/decoding model explains that producers encode meaning into media content, and audiences decode it based on their cultural background, beliefs, and experiences.
Now, let’s look at the incorrect options. Profit motives (A) might drive production, but they don’t turn a programme into a text. Producers (C) create content, but the status of “text” depends on meaning, not just creation. Channels (D) are distribution platforms; they deliver content, but they don’t define it as a text.
So clearly, the right answer is meanings. Only when a programme communicates messages that can be interpreted—consciously or subconsciously—does it qualify as a text in media theory.
In conclusion, a television programme becomes a “text” when viewers engage with it on a deeper level. Through activated meanings, it becomes a cultural artifact that reflects and shapes how we see the world. This perspective helps us analyze media more critically, not just consume it passively.
