ON THE SUBJECT OF TV KNOWLEDGE QUIZ SHOWS AND COMPETITIONS

The authoress in her contribution deals with several aspects of TV quiz shows (knowledge competitions). She is dividing knowledge or sciential competitions into several basic groups according to the type of knowledge required from competitors. The authoress is comparing the course, form and impact of quiz shows with functioning of the sciential system, social differential system, next is working with the concepts by Pierre Bourdie (cultural capital, theory of difference) and John Fiske (Quiz Show, Knowledge and Power - the notion was taken over from Michael Foucault and adopted by Fiske and similarly by British culturalism). The focus is directed to the inner structure of the quiz shows, but also on its perception by TV spectators. The authoress is reaching several concurrences with the above mentioned concepts, but at the same time is introducing entertainment as a dominant code element of the sciential TV programmes. Possible the social and class differences which emerge to the surface, are by this manners masked and seemingly democratically equalized. The quiz show winners thus become more of cultural influence bearers than a dominating social power. The authoress is at the same time alleging a strong and suggestive influence of the quiz shows which are divided into the group of programmes approaching the cultural elites (academic types of knowledge of a narrowly specialized character), and the group of programmes approaching the middle numerous layers (knowledge of a general human character).