The biggest problem with using mass media as a forum for artistic ventures is the constant struggle between the capitalistic nature of media and the integrity of artistic freedom. Television is one of the clearest examples of this struggle. There are thousands upon thousands of shows each year that are produced and optioned and generally put through the motions of the business. A very small percentage of these shows are ever seen by the general populace because television stations are essentially businesses. They calculate the probability of the success of a show and rarely take chances on experimental ideas. Why, you may ask, don't these stations invite new and different ideas? Why don't they thrive on programming a variety of shows that help generate artistic development? The answer is advertising.
Advertising is the life blood of television as we know it. Advertisers pay to have their commercials up on certain channels and this money accounts for a lot of the expenses that a television station must pay to remain afloat. Commercials take away from the airtime of a show and interrupt at different intervals within the show to try to get people to pay attention so they won't miss anything.
Television is so dependent on advertising that the executives at these stations mold the types of shows to work with the advertisers. This leads to many bottled and packaged type of shows that are clearly formulated to hook a certain demographic. Variety exists, but within strict constraints of formulaic television shows. This allows the advertisers to neatly package their products and place them with an easily classified companion that shares its demographic. But the audience suffers. The audience is not given a choice of a multi-layered or experimental show because it's hard to sell things when there is no one group that you can sell to. And so, we are at the mercy of commercials and the shows are easily identifiable, making television less of an art and more of a business.
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