INFOMERCIALS

INFOMERCIALS are program-length (usually thirty or sixty minutes) television productions designed exclusively to feature and sell a product. They often employ formats borrowed from other genres in an effort to disguise partially the fact that they are commercials. Many infomercials are designed as talk shows, for example, and Bell Atlantic introduced a "sitcommercial" in 1992.Al-though some high-end products have been featured in high-budget infomercials, like those for General Motors' Saturn automobiles, the form is generally associated with more gimmicky merchandise. Hair extensions, miracle cleaning products, food preparation gadgets, and psychic reading services are among the things frequently sold on infomercials. Production values are usually comparatively low, and the style of the sales pitch is often reminiscent of the snake oil salesman.

Program-length commercials on television were forbidden by Federal Communication Commission (FCC) regulations until 1984.Once the ban was lifted, however, infomercials became a significant part of the TV programming mix, especially in the late-night hours. By filling unprofitable time slots with infomercials, cable and broadcast stations avoided the need to pay for programming for that time slot while at the same time generating income by selling that time to the provider of the infomercial. Infomercials aimed at children are still illegal. Perhaps the most unfortunate result of the rise of the infomercial is that many stations now air infomercials in time periods that were once used for public affairs and local programs.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Head, Sydney W., Thomas Spann, and Michael A. McGregor. Broadcasting in America: A Survey of Electronic Media. 9th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.

RobertThompson

See alsoAdvertising ; Television: Programming and Influence .