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Popular Culture Review
Ego Promoters
Ego promoters are defined as those producers who directly inteiject themselves
into the story they are telling on the access television channel. These producers
possess a “look at me” approach to storytelhng, i.e., they tell stories from a first
person perspective. Although topics and themes play a role, I discovered these
producers are not necessarily concerned with specific content objectives in their
stories as much as they are personally involved in the story presentation and how
viewers perceive their involvement. For example, ego promoters host, as well as
produce, their own access programs. Generally, ego promoters select story
information using an eclectic approach. That is, they select either socially or
culturally relevant stories from which they receive an inordinate amount of attention.
In other instances they insert themselves into stories from which they can receive
sufficient amounts of personal celebrity. A self-important relationship with a
particular story is prevalent in this access producer’s category. In effect, producers
place themselves as the principles in their stories. For example, Tom O. has been
an access producer for more than ten years. He is a Fort Wayne landlord who has
been attempting to get elected to any local, pohtical office for several years. He
uses his access programs, which titles include “The Tom O. Show,” an opinion
program with a libertarian flavor; “Drug Wars,” a video surveillance expose of
neighborhood drug trafficking; and a variety of pseudo-pohtical programs promoting
lesser-known area candidates (including himself).
Tom O.: “I fought the opposition from the newspapers about it (a
proposed Fort Wayne city drug ordinance), but by having the stuff on
there (videotaped drug purchases) I guess I took a knife to the belly of the
beast and cut it open and let its guts hang open for everyone to see about
the problems that we had out here...I don’t think I’m there to entertain
somebody. I want to show it like it is...I want to make pubhc opinion.”
(Yoder 367)
By using access television to present his stories and issues, Tom O. feels he is
reinforcing behefs his audience shares with him:
“People know who I am. I’ve done a lot against crime in Ft. Wayne
.. .I’m running right now for county council-at-large. I think I have a good
shot at it because a lot of people know who I am and I’ve got a good issue
that I’m running on.”(370)
Other producers in this category share similar traits. Ego promoters embrace
the notion that, through their access programs, they can determine agendas or topics