The end of cultural complexity? 4 April 2005

The March 28 issue of The New Yorker contains an article on new trends in advertising (“The New Pitch” by Ken Auletta). It contains the following confession by a former president of ABC entertainment: “Anything that is complex narrative storytelling—one-hour dramas, narrative miniseries, character-driven movies for television—advertisers don’t believe there is an audience under fifty for these kinds of shows.”