Using a Spike to Maintain Stereotypes

Spike is a cable channel that provides adult-oriented programming targeted at a male audience. Although the network's prime-time programming includes action and sports shows that appeal to a mostly adult male viewership, it's day-time shows include re-runs of CSI and other shows that could also attract a female audience. The channel's tagline, Get More Action, is meant to appeal to a masculine audience.


For example, Spike runs a series of ads that focus on sex, violence, and sports and include the tag line at the end.

Another ad for the network features two women licking an ice cream and background music that repeats, "this is a man's world."

I looked at some of the programs featured on Spike's Thursday prime-time line-up. Beginning early afternoon, the network runs back-to-back episodes of Jail. This show is a reality series about people that work in a jail and the inmates. Before watching the show, I decided to do some research about it online. I randomly clicked on a link and the clip was ironically began with jail officers having a conversation about an inmate's sexuality and whether this person was a male or a female. The inmate had written on their intake form that they were 100% male. However, she looked like a female and had mentioned that he had surgery to convert to a female. The officers were left with the question of whether or not to perform a full strip search as is done with all male inmates, and whether to place the inmate in the female or male cell. I found this to be fascinating and thought provoking. If a person identifies themselves as one sex, but they are physically another sex, which gender should society recognize them as? I proceeded to watch the show. I did not find anything that stood out about gender or race in the show. Both male and female guards were rough and compassionate at times. The inmate treatment and attitudes were also free from any sexual or race biases. There seemed to be a variety of sexes, races, and issues in the show. However, I feel this type of show may be more appealing to men than women. There are some women that like police action and violence, but I think this show probably has more male viewers than female.

After a long series of Jail re-runs, the network

aired TNA iMPACT. This show is basically all about wrestling mixed with theatrics.

Although the wrestlers are both male and female, it is a violent show that shows women as objects. The women are shown wearing heavy makeup, and tight and revealing clothes. However, it also emasculates women and empowers them by showing them fighting both verbally and performing some of the same wrestling moves as the men and "earning" their paychecks. In the episodes I watched, the show's host was a wrestler's wife and she found out that he was cheating on her with the other female wrestlers. She was making fun of Mexican-American girls, and called them Rice and Beans and the Burrito Sisters and criticized them for raising the American flag.

The Mexican girls called the host and the other women, stupid white girls. The host continues to verbally attack the other women until a wrestling match breaks out between the women. Although this show incorporates wrestling in its theme, it has more of a sexual appeal than sport. The show is mostly about drama and wrestling mixed together.

Another thing I noticed was most of the ads during the the shows were targeting a male audience. The ads were for razors, and beer.

At 11pm Spike featured Auction Hunters. I found this show was not quite male oriented even though its two stars were two men. The show is another reality series about two men that go to different auctions to purchase abandoned storage rooms hoping to find valuable items in the storages. I think the reason this show is run at 11pm is because the network is trying to appeal to couples. Many couples watch TV in bed and typical bedtime for most working Americans is between 10pm to Midnight. By airing a show that is neither male or female oriented at this time, it can ensure a big audience of men, women, and couples for its evening programming. There was nothing that pertained to gender or race in this show. It is actually an educational show that teaches you about vintage items and how some old items can be worth a lot of money.

The last show of the evening, airing at 11:30 was Repo Games. This show's starts are also two men. Although I did not watch entire show, I found it was entertaining. The two men find cars that are to be repossessed. Although the two starts are masculine in physique and appear to be nonchalant towards the people who's property they are repossessing, they display some compassion by giving them a chance to have their property paid off by answering a series a questions. The people whose property is being repossessed are all of different races and genders. One thing that was interesting in the episode that I was watching was a Black person was asked a question about the Beetles and he looked at his White girlfriend and said, "that's your kinda music I don't know anything about the Beetles - that's your people." The show is packed with a lot of action, yelling, and cursing; these types of traits are usually more appealing to men and that is the audience Spike seeks to attract. By adding the trivia to the show and featuring families, the network tries to capture some women viewers, perhaps the attracting women to watch the show with the men.

Overall I found Spike to be a male oriented channel. It addressed some issues about gender and race. Its wrestling show, TNA iMPACT was the show I found was most relevant to our class. The show clearly used gender, race, and sexuality as a method to captur its audience.