Keeping It Real

Abstract

Problem: It is easier than ever to reach out to the public, but as communication channels proliferate, it becomes difficult to compete for people's attention. Also, it seems as though fantasy and spectacle (even in news coverage) have the best chances of capturing an audience. Can planners create what Duncombe (2007) calls “ethical spectacles,” where planning projects get noticed, but still gain substantive public input?

Purpose: Currently, reality television shows are the masters of “spectacle” and viewer participation. This article uses the reality TV formula to critique a televised planning event sponsored by the council of governments for the Greater Kansas City region. The model for successful reality TV offers strategies for improving televised planning processes by making these programs more dynamic and interactive. The reality TV formula includes the following: real people, uncontrolled situations, immediacy and intimacy, an emphasis on conflict in which participants balance individual and community needs, an observational style, a “confessional space,” editing to create an entertaining package, and interactive elements (voting, texting by home viewers).

Methods: The study uses genre criticism to compare and contrast the Imagine KC televised town meeting with the successful reality TV formula.

Results and conclusions: Planners can use reality TV to create “ethical spectacles” and more effectively draw attention to planning issues while creating two-way dialogues with the public. Duncombe's (2007) ethical spectacles are directly democratic, fostering community while allowing for diversity. They also take up real issues but explore alternate futures. These are all familiar to planners who have used more typical public participation techniques (e.g., surveys, charrettes) while adhering to the American Institute of Certified Planners’ code of ethics.

Takeaway for practice: While reality TV offers planners strategies for creating compelling televised public participation programming, reality TV is not without its faults. Planners should avoid the exploitative manner in which reality TV producers regard the participants, as well as its manipulative style and aesthetic of humiliation, which emphasizes drama and conflict over documentary realism and ethical considerations. If planners are going to use the medium of television, the reality TV formula provides an attractive option for those seeking to inform and interact with a large, diverse audience.

Research support: None.

Keywords:

• public participation
• television
• planning methods
• ethics

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewers, Bruce B. Frey, Stacey Swearingen White, Michael R. Boswell, and 2010 ACSP conference paper panel and audience members for their helpful comments and advice.

Her research interests include the democratic responsiveness of planners, organizational behavior, social capital, and communicative planning.

His research interests include transmedia storytelling, participatory culture, and television studies.