CHAPTER 7

Ethics and Ratings

The entertainment industry lives or dies based on ratings, box office tallies, and units sold. If people aren’t listening to shock-jocks on radio (no matter how outrageous or controversial they are), if no one is going to a celebrity blog, if no one is going to see a film on the opening weekend, if no one is watching a television program, the prospect of a long and prosperous run is greatly diminished. In addition, labels, or ratings, on movies, television shows, records, or video games can influence how many people are going to be buying tickets, watching, or playing. A restrictive label can severely limit potential audience reach, producing weak audience totals and causing advertisers to look elsewhere for sponsorship ...

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