Television is the most pervasive mass medium of the industrialised world. It is blamed for creating alienation and violence in society, yet at the same time regarded as trivial and unworthy of serious attention. It is the main purveyor of global popular culture, yet also intensely local. The Australian TV Book paints the big picture of the small screen in Australia. It examines industry dynamics in a rapidly changing environment, the impact of new technology, recent changes in programming, and the ways in which the television industry targets its audiences. The authors highlight what is distinctive about television in Australia, and how it is affected by international developments. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Australian television today. Stuart Cunningham is Professor of Media and Journalism at Queensland University of Technology. Graeme Turner is director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland. They are editors of the leading textbook The Media in Australia and authors of many other works on the media.

David Chittick takes an in-depth look at some of Australia's best loved TV shows and personalities in this nostalgic tome. Featuring exclusive contributions from such luminaries as John-Michael Howson, Lorraine Bayly, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Andrew McFarlane and Bill Peach, to name but a few, as well as containing a feast of rare photographs, The Heart of Australian Television will rekindle memories for those who grew up watching Skippy, Play School, Number 96, Young Talent Time, The Sullivans and a host of other local productions.

In September 2006, television in Australia will have been broadcasting for half a century - this book celebrates that anniversary with a comprehensive, highly illustrated large format account of those years. Here for the first time is a complete history of Australian television from its beginnings and coverage of the Melbourne Olympic Games through to Kath & Kim. Set out year by year, AUSTRALIAN TV THROUGH TIME brings together the stories behind the evolution of its broadcasting and production companies, and the famous TV shows and actors and personalities that have appeared on our flickering tube.Each year comprises stories of notable events and personalities for that year as well as Logie award winners, Quotable Quotes, 'fact files', a timeline, and the Hit Program of the Year. All in an accessible and appealing magazine-style design. Not only does AUSTRALIAN TV THROUGH TIME provide an important survey of Australian TV's first half century, it's a fascinating read that buyers will dip into time after time.

Media, communications and cultural studies form a rapidly growing part of secondary and tertiary education in Australia, yet there have been few books dealing specifically with Australian television. This is the first wide ranging study of television in Australia, and includes a coverage of the cultural and institutional history of Australian television as well as examining a wide range of television programming. Prisoner, Perfect Match, Hey Hey It's Saturday, A Country Practice, Vietnam and Beyond 2000 are some of the programs described and analysed. Issues are raised such as the relationship between children and television, the role of the television documentary and the function television serves in constructing communities. The contributors to Australian Television: Programs, Pleasures and Politics include some of the leading researchers in Australian television and cultural studies and their articles employ a wide range of methods - from semiotic analyses to cultural histories. Despite their dealing with often quite sophisticated problems, the chapters are written in an accessible and lively manner. This is an important collection which opens out space for more informed and challenging discussions of Australia's television culture - its programs, its meanings, its pleasures and its politics. It will be an invaluable text for all tertiary television, media studies, communications studies, Australian studies and cultural studies programs.

49 stories ranging over 120 years. Stories reflect life in Australia from the early days of hardship to the recognition of a multicultural society and the new agendas for women's, gay and lesbian, and Aboriginal writing.

Contents: Drawing extensively on qualitative audience research and industry interviews, this book demonstrates that while 'infotainment' and satirical programmes may not follow the journalism orthodoxy, they nevertheless play an important role in the way everyday Australians understand what is happening in the world.

This book provides the first up-to-date introduction to the shape and style of Australian television in the 1980s, 1990s and beyond. Traditional formats like news, current affairs and sport as well as newer genres like tabloid and reality TV are treated in detail. The authors use their expertise in cultural and media studies to take apart the medium in terms of text, genre, audience, nation, culture, policy, industry and postmodernity. Trends and developments that are taking Australian television into the future, such as the increasingly international orientation of the local industry and new services like pay TV, community TV and ABC satellite TV are also examined in depth.

In Midnight at the Library, critically-acclaimed author, Ursula Dubosarsky, and award-winning illustrator, Ron Brooks, traverse space and time, telling the story of a book throughout history. Dubosarsky and Brooks piece together the story of a book that was opened and loved, given and taken, closed and lost, found and forgotten before being discovered, uncovered and preserved at the library. Beautifully written and splendidly illustrated, this is a story about the inception, creation and preservation of books and culture. This enchanting children's book has vast educational potential and is sure to captivate the hearts of book-lovers across the nation, encouraging them to find their own book of wonder. Brilliantly evocative and exceptionally engaging, there is something undeniably magical about Dubosarsky and Brooks' timeless and ageless story, Midnight at the Library. Teachers's notes available here

Alphabetical guide to all locally produced television drama series, children's shows and sit-coms, giving number of episodes, length, type, production team and cast. A general description of the plot is given, together with the history of its making, its success and an assessment of its quality. The author teaches film and media studies at Griffith University and has written several books on Australian film and television. Includes a guide to further reading, an index and program schedules from 1957 to 1993.