Media in The Simpsons
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A number of different forms of media exist in the world of animation series The Simpsons. Some of these are fictional - such as the Springfield Shopper or KBBL Radio. Others are not - inhabitants of Springfield appear to receive all major television networks, with the show's parody of Fox News possibly the most memorable inclusion.
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[edit] Fictional media
[edit] TV & radio
[edit] KBBL
In the fictional universe of The Simpsons, KBBL is the call sign used for radio and television stations that broadcast from Springfield. All three are owned by the fictional KBBL Broadcasting Inc.
KBBL-FM's frequency is 102.5 FM, and its morning show is hosted by Bill and Marty.
Its co-owned AM sister station, KBBL at 970 AM, although until recently it was at 580 AM, is a talk radio station and one of its shows is hosted by Birch Barlow (a Rush Limbaugh parody) and another by Jerry Rude (a Howard Stern parody). This station also covers sporting events. Coincidentally, there was once a real-world KBBL-AM, with a sports talk format, at 1250 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas (the station is now KZTD). According to one episode, KBBL's slogan is "No sports, no rock, no information; for mindless chatter, we're your station." Which leads to KBBL, for K-Babble.
KBL-TV or KBBL-DT (in recent episodes) (Channel 6) is the fictional television station in Springfield, the home of television personalities Kent Brockman and Krusty the Clown. Its slogan is "We're Channel 6, Just Catch Us Now!" (parody of NBC's 1982-1983 promotional slogan "We're NBC Just Watch Us Now"). Channel 6 is believed to be the local FOX affiliate. (Co incidentally, XETV-TV, a Fox affiliate in San Diego, is also on Channel 6, as well as WITI in Milwaukee.)
In the real world, there are a few television stations using the KBBL calls: Former WB affiliate KBBL-TV channel 34 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas (Now KPBI-TV, located in the market of real-life Springfield, Missouri (but actually serving the Fort Smith-Fayetteville market), which changed to those calls from KWFT on July 6, 2006 and joined My Network TV, and the Springfield-licensed low-power relay of another MNT affiliate, KWBM channel 31 in Harrison, Arkansas, which picked up the call sign on July 14, 2006. Prior to July 14, the KBBL call sign was used by the Univision affiliate in Fort Smith, KWNL-CA channel 9 Winslow, Arkansas. The choice of KBBL call letters by Equity Broadcasting, parent of all three stations, likely was not influenced by The Simpsons; Equity likes to use former radio call letters from its hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas as TV call letters, and KBBL was once used by KBBL-AM (see above) and perhaps an FM station. However, since KWBM (and thus the new KBBL-CA) will be affiliates of MyNetworkTV (owned by Fox), it's still possible that the move of KBBL-CA to real-life Springfield was Simpsons-related.
KJAZZ-FM is a jazz station in Springfield with a broadcast range of 23 feet and a morning show is hosted by Hans Moleman. It briefly made an appearance in the episode 'Round Springfield.
In one Simpsons Halloween special, an invasion by zombies led a town radio station, presumably KBBL, to change its call sign and format to "KZMB, All-Zombie Radio." The programming consisted of zombies grunting and moaning.
Note that in the United States, the vast majority of radio stations west of the Mississippi River have call signs beginning with "K," while those in the eastern states begin with "W." Lest viewers interpret call letters as a hint toward Springfield's location, one episode mentions the easy-listening station WKOMA although this was to avoid confusion with real-world station KOMA-AM, since stations cannot have five-letter call signs.
[edit] Channel Ocho
| Type | Spanish Language Local |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | Local terrestrial |
| Owner | KBBL-TV (Channel 6) |
| Key people | Bumblebee Man |
Channel Ocho is the Spanish language television station for Springfield. The main show is Bumblebee Man's comedy show (sponsored by Goya), a fast paced, surreal, slapstick comedy show about an unlucky giant bumblebee. It is also known for showing soccer matches. Channel ocho might also be a parody of Mexican TV, particularly of El Chapulín Colorado and El Chavo del Ocho, both popular and successful comedy shows aired through the 70's the 80's and the 90's in Latin America.
The channel is part of the wider KBBL media corporation. [citation needed]
[edit] Eye on Springfield
Eye on Springfield is a show presented by the character Kent Brockman (voiced by Harry Shearer). The show within a show is a parody of KABC-TV's "Eye on LA" and other TV news magazine shows and entertainment journalism, particularly when they are attempted by small media market TV outlets.
In the US, TV stations are required to have "local interest" programming to show concern for the community needs, and stations frequently satisfy this requirement with local arts programming. Eye on Springfield is a parody of such programs, in that it shows a small market local events program attempting to imitate network journalism and entertainment reporting. At times Eye on Springfield seems to be taking 60 Minutes as its target, but it most consistently satirizes Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. Whenever Lisa Simpson or Homer Simpson do something newsworthy or controversial, they appear on Eye on Springfield.
The show is often used as a way to open an episode of The Simpsons, with Kent Brockman standing in front of a lake saying "Hello. I'm Kent Brockman, and this is Eye On Springfield". The starting sequence varies slightly in each appearance, but always feature a montage of bikini-clad women at various Springfield monuments and clips of Kent Brockman living a celebrity lifestyle, washing a Mercedes or eating sushi in a Japanese spa.
[edit] Smartline
Smartline is a parody of network television cultural affairs programs. The character Kent Brockman (voiced by Harry Shearer) hosts the show-within-the-show. While "Smartline" might be a parody of the NBC news show, Dateline, its clearest model is ABC's Nightline, as it features only the host and a single guest being questioned skeptically. There is also a satirical hint that Nightline takes its intellectual credentials too seriously. However, Smartline is also a parody of small market television stations that attempt to emulate serious journalism. Instead of having nationally known political leaders, Kent Brockman's "Smartline" will have Lisa Simpson or Professor Frink.
[edit] My Two Cents
Another Channel 6 program, Kent Brockman (and sometimes others) give their own personal, and often dire opinions on the going-ons in Springfield and what should be done to solve the problem.
[edit] Newspapers
| The Springfield Shopper | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Daily local newspaper |
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owners | Springfield News Group, Inc |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Political position | Varies |
| Headquarters | Springfield, United States of America |
The Springfield Shopper is the most commonly recurring local newspaper in Springfield. It carries opinion, sport, food, world, arts, religion and leisure sections. It tends towards tabloid stories, with such headlines as 'Woman Weds Ape', 'Hippo promoted to detective' and 'Crazed Mom Goes Topless (Photos Pages 3-28)'. The Shopper merged with the Springfield Times, Post, Globe, Herald, Jewish News, and Hot Sex Weekly
The cost of the newspaper tends to vary between nothing and $1.00, with the average price being 25¢.
Homer Simpson has worked for the newspaper as a food critic. After initially being too kind (giving a slice of pizza he found under the sofa 9 out of 10, deducting a point for having a Hot Wheels car stuck on it), he switched to becoming a cruel critic, and was almost murdered by a disgruntled baker with a poisoned éclair. The newspaper was also bought briefly by Montgomery Burns, who was on a mission to control all the media of Springfield, and by the The Movementarians, an evil cult who were attempting to brainwash all Springfieldians.
The lower headline will generally be a joke either about the upper headlines, or about journalism in general ("Second headline less important, studies show").
In one episode, It is revealed that Shelbyville has a newspaper called The Shelbyville Daily, whose slogan is "Once a week, every week".
[edit] Non-fictional media
Fox Network has frequently appeared in several Simpsons episodes. In one episode where Krusty is planning on having his Bar Mitzvah, he reluctantly decides to go to Fox network, due to the fact that no other channel will show his Bar Mitzvah. Fox Network's headquarters is then shown to be nothing more than a trailer on a hill. While there, Krusty convinces them to show the Bar Mitzvah by saying, "You're Fox! You're known for showing crap!"
In the episode She Used to be My Girl, various media vehicle can be seen arriving in Springfield to cover a scandal involving Mayor Quimby. Fox News' van is shown to have a very large sign with the slogan "Bush/Cheney '04" while playing "We Are the Champions."
