Paper Tiger Television (PTTV) is a non-profit, low-budget public access television program and open media collective based in New York City. Currently operating from Brooklyn, PPTV was co-founded by

media activist Claudia Romina Sánchez Del Real Media activism is a broad category of activism that utilizes media and communication technologies for social and political movements. Methods of media activism include publishing news on websites, creating video ...

and Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker Dee Dee Halleck in 1981. It focuses on raising media literacy and exists as a protest to corporate control over

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

mediums. Founded on democratic ideals of freedom of speech by way of access to means of communication, the volunteer run non-profit organization is a

collective A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an ...

acting in response to systems of hierarchical power. The station's public access television programs from the early 1980s are considered to be pioneering works of innovative video art and alternative media, most well known for developing a unique, handmade, irreverent aesthetic which boldly experimented with the medium of

broadcast television Broadcast television systems (or terrestrial television systems outside the US and Canada) are the encoding or formatting systems for the transmission and reception of terrestrial television signals. Analog television systems were standardized b ...

by drawing on art, academics, politics, and performance. PTTV has been recognized for its commitment to critical analysis of information sources, and for frequently being on the cutting edge of video technology. The

celebrated its 25th anniversary on October 11, 2007 with a premiere of the video ''Paper Tiger Reads Paper Tiger Television'' at th
Anthology Film Archives
In 2018, in collaboration with Halleck's other collective, Deep Dish TV, Paper Tiger Television released a 10-part video series about resistance to the rise of

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

political movements.

History

Founded in part by Dee Dee Halleck, Paper Tiger Television grew out of the Public-access television series, Communications Update, which ran on Manhattan Cable TV. The first Paper Tiger programs featured communications scholar Herbert Schiller reading the venerable '' New York Times'', the "steering mechanism of the ruling class".

Aesthetic and themes

Known for its democratic goals and

anti-commercialism Commercialism is the application of both manufacturing and consumption towards personal usage, or the practices, methods, aims, and distribution of products in a free market geared toward generating a profit. Commercialism can also refer, positivel ...

agenda, Paper Tiger Television is most widely recognized for incorporating a DIY visual style in its programming. The creators and reporters frequently made use of handmade signs, backdrops, and other unpolished set pieces which highlighted the grassroots tone of PPTV's videos and drew attention to the production process. For instance, one of their special live broadcasts begins with a lengthy introduction to PPTV's mission, with the text laid over a brightly colorful backdrop:

"Our lives are increasingly influenced by the large corporations that make and distribute information. Their power rests on false assumptions. This legitimacy is a paper tiger. Investigation into the corporate structure of the media and critical analysis of their methods and meanings can be a way of demystifying the information industry. A critical consciousness about communications is necessary for cultural autonomy and democratic control of information resources."

Archived programs

The archives of Paper Tiger Television house one of the most culturally significant alternative media collections in American history, including critical components of the coinciding technological and artistic evolution of public access television, video art, video activism, and

media reform Media reform refers to proposed attempts to reform mass media towards an agenda which is more in tune with public needs and away from a perceived bias toward corporate, government or political biases. Media reform advocates also place a strong emph ...

. The complete catalog of over 500 programs can be found at the Paper Tiger Television websit

*

Herb Schiller Herbert Irving Schiller (November 5, 1919 – January 29, 2000) was an American media critic, sociologist, author, and scholar. He earned his PhD in 1960 from New York University. Schiller warned of two major trends in his prolific writings an ...

Reads '' The New York Times'': The Steering Mechanism of the Ruling Class, 1981 * Natalie Didn't Drown: Joan Braderman Reads ''The National Enquirer'', 1982 * Tuli Kupferberg Reads '' Rolling Stone:'' Always Smile When You Give 'em the Shaft, October 13, 1982 * Bill Tabb Reads '' US News & World Report:'' Disrobing the Economy, May 26, 1982 * Martha Rosler Reads ''Vogue'': Wishing, Dreaming, Winning, Spending, Dec, 1982 *

Archie Singham Archibald Wickeramaraja Singham, also known as Archie Singham or A. W. Singham (1932-1991) was a Sri Lankan political scientist and historian, professor of political science at Brooklyn College of City University of New York. He was an authority on ...

Reads ''Foreign Policy:'' A Look at the Old Boy's Network, May 4, 1983 * Joel Kovel Reads ''

Life Magazine ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

:'' It's a New Life, Painting a Corpse, September 21, 1983 *

Stanley Aronowitz Stanley Aronowitz (January 6, 1933 – August 16, 2021) was a professor of sociology, cultural studies, and urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center. He was also a veteran political activist and cultural critic, an advocate for organized labo ...

Reads '' The New York Times'': A Timely Look at Labor, 1983 *

Elayne Rapping Elayne Antler Rapping (December 24, 1938 – June 7, 2016) was an American critic and analyst of popular culture and social issues. She authored several books covering topics such as media theory, popular culture, women's issues, and the portraya ...

Swoons to Romance Novels, 1983 *

Richie Perez Richie or Richy is a masculine given name or short form (hypocorism) of Richard. It is also a surname. First name *Richie Ashburn (1927–1997), American Major League Baseball player, member of the Hall of Fame *Richie Benaud (1930–2015), Austra ...

Watches ''Fort Apache: The Bronx'', 1983 * Patty Zimmerman Reads '' Variety:'' Hooray for Hollywood, June 20, 1984 * Pearl Bowser Looks at Early Black Cinema: The Legacy of Oscar Micheaux, 1984 * Renee Tajima Reads Asian Images in American Film: Charlie Chan Go Home!, 1984 * Marc Crispin Miller Reads Cigarette Ads: Lots More Ifs, Ands & Butts, 1985 *

Jean Franco Jean Franco (March 31, 1924 – December 14, 2022) was a British-born American academic and literary critic known for her pioneering work on Latin American literature.Risen, Clay"Jean Franco, 98, Pioneering Scholar of Latin American Literature, Die ...

Reads Mexican Novelas: Adios Machismo! Hola Maquilladora, 1985 * Flo Kennedy Reads U.S. Press on South Africa: The Hair in the Milk, February 1985 * Noam Chomsky Reads ''The New York Times:'' Seeking Peace in the Middle East, June 1985 * Thulani Davis Asks, Why

Howard Beach Howard Beach is a neighborhood in the southwestern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered to the north by the Belt Parkway and Conduit Avenue in Ozone Park, to the south by Jamaica Bay in Broad Channel, to the east ...

?: Racial Violence and the Media, January 21, 1987 * Donna Haraway Reads The National Geographic on Primates, 1987 * Born To Be Sold: Martha Rosler Reads the Strange Case of Baby S/M, 1988 * Fred Landis Reads '' The Washington Times'': The Dark Side of the Moonies, 1989 * Class Dismissed: featuring Howard Zinn and James Loewen, 2004 * Stuart Ewen Reads The New York Post: Fantasy, Morality and Authority, 1982 * Protest + Education Can Equal Change: featuring Kathy High, 1992 * ''The Last Graduation: The Rise and Fall of College Programs in Prison'', 1997

Cultural impact

Since its launch in the early 1980s, Paper Tiger Television has influenced and supported

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

media activist organizations by providing an innovative model for community media and spurring the global development of a do-it-yourself (DIY) community media movement. With the explosion of Internet video distribution,

DIY media "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

has grown to an increasingly powerful international phenomenon, building on the pioneering work of the PTTV

. Among viewers, historians, scholars, and creative media makers, the radical early age of Paper Tiger Television is remembered for its radical political mission and intelligent, irreverent, ultra- low-budget antics in emphasizing this mission. PPTV's engagement with critiques of

mass culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

and politics, and providing innovative leadership for documentary filmmakers, artists, media literacy educators and social justice media movements around the world helped bring more attention to the potential powers of alternative media combined with the rising technology of broadcast television. PTTV has been recognized internationally for its contribution to video art, theory and the documentary tradition in television. Many programs examine a particular aspect of the communications industry, from print media to TV to movies, looking at its impact on public perception and opinion. Other videos represent the people and views which are largely absent from the

mainstream media In journalism, mainstream media (MSM) is a term and abbreviation used to refer collectively to the various large mass news media that influence many people and both reflect and shape prevailing currents of thought.Chomsky, Noam, ''"What makes mai ...

. Cultural scholar Douglass Rushkoff describes the impact of PPTV as such:

"Perhaps it was the voltage created by the potential difference between what was airing on the networks and what was actually going on around the country that gave Paper Tiger the burst of energy it needed to become a full-fledged force in national television during the Gulf War."

The emergence of Paper Tiger Television onto the national cultural scene of the 1980s was a significant moment for alternative media and independent television production. Dee Dee Halleck, one of PPTV's founders, went on to launch ''Deep TV'' (now Deep Dish Satellite Network) in 1986, which was the first national independent satellite network.

References

* DeeDee Halleck, ''Handheld Visions: The Impossible Possibilities of Community Media'' * Erik Barnouw, ''Documentary: A History of the Non-Fiction Film'' *Martha Gever, "Meet the Press: On Paper Tiger Television." in Transmission. Ed. Peter D'Augustino. New York: Tanam, 1985. 215–33. *Marcus, Daniel. "Paper Tiger Television (United States)." Encyclopedia of Social Movement Media, edited by John D. H. Downing, SAGE Reference, 2011, pp. 383–384. Gale Virtual Reference Library. *Stein, L. (2001)
Access television and grassroots political communication in the United States
In J. H. Downing, Radical media: Rebellious communication and social movements (pp. 299–324). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

External links

Paper Tiger Television's Home Page

Paper Tiger Bloggi-Vision
Paper Tiger TV's Videoblog

1992 exhibit at San Francisco Art Institute
Dueling Dancers at Paper Tiger TV's 25 Year Anniversary
Video clip of performance from 25 Year Anniversary
Paper Tiger Television
in th
Video Data Bank
{{Authority control Television organizations in the United States 1981 establishments in New York City 501(c)(3) organizations Organizations established in 1981