Graeme Turner’s scientific contributions

Fame Games uncovers the manufacturing process that is behind the array of personalities we see in Australian media. It investigates the changed public sphere and the altered mediascape that publicity and public relations have generated around the circulation of celebrities connected to the various cultural commodities produced by the entertainment industries. Key figures from the emergent Australian celebrity industry--from managers and agents to publicists, promoters and mass market magazine editors--were interviewed to provide a nuanced reading of how personalities are developed and are essential elements of how news and entertainment is conveyed to us.

This paper presents the results of a survey of stories dealing with celebrities in a sample of newspapers, magazines, and television programming. Aimed at testing anecdotal accounts of an increase in the volume of such material within the media generally, the survey pravides detailed evidence for the view that this now constitutes asignificant portion of media output. The paper discusses these findings in the context of attempting to better understand the cultural function of such stories for their audience.