ONCE UPON A NOONTIME SHOW: A HISTORICAL STUDY OF NOONTIME VARIETY SHOWS AS A REPRESENTATION OF FILIPINO CULTURE FROM 1965-1986

ABSTRACT

Since the birth of television in the Philippines, variety shows have been a mainstay in the noontime slot. This study looked at how noontime variety shows represented Filipino culture from 1965-1986. This timeframe illustrates the transition from pre-martial Law to Martial Law to post-martial Law. Specifically, this study sought to discover the context, content, and ideologies of four noontime variety shows. These shows were Stop Look and Listen, 12 O’ Clock High, Ariel Con Tina, and Lunch Date. The research framework was an integration of four theories from the semiotic approach. These theories are John Fiske’s Television Culture, Stuart Hall’s Theory of Representation, Michel Foucault’s Historical Discourse, and Roland Barthes’ Semiotics. All of these theories adapt the constructionist approach and are used in cultural studies. A qualitative design was applied to the research. Particularly, in-depth interviewing was the primary data gathering method employed in this study, while the archiving technique served as a secondary method. Results revealed that although there were major changes that took place in society, the transition from pre-Martial Law to Martial Law variety shows did not reveal any escalated changes in the treatment of the program flow, music, fashion, studio, nor in upholding values and traditions. In contrast, post-Martial Law variety shows displayed a more distinct transformation in both the content and ideologies that were inculcated.

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Subject Index: Variety shows (Television programs)--Philippines, Television--Semiotics--Philippines