Rox (American TV series)

Last updated
Rox
Rox (TV series) logo.png
Created byJoe Nickell and Bart Everson
StarringJoe Nickell "J" (bartender) and Bart Everson "B" (editor)
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes100
Production
Running timevaries
Original release
NetworkBCAT (Bloomington Community Access) (then Internet)
ReleaseJuly 7, 1992 (1992-07-07) –
present

Rox is an American independently produced television and subsequently web series, noted for its political activism as well as for its aesthetic and technical achievements. First shown on public-access cable TV in Bloomington, Indiana, the series expanded to multiple cable systems before becoming the first television series distributed on the internet in April 1995. Though an underground production with virtually no budget, the show has generated significant controversy and garnered major media coverage, as well as scholarly attention, especially during its earliest years.

Contents

Background and original concept

In the fall of 1989, Bart Everson was arrested for public indecency (streaking) and assigned to community service at Community Access Television Services (then Bloomington Community Access Television) in Bloomington, Indiana. It was here that Everson learned how to produce videos for local cablecast, which a number of writers have suggested was key to the development of the series. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Rox premiered (under the title J&B on the ROX) on CATS on July 7, 1992. [5] Originally conceived as a "mixed drink cooking show," [4] the program had no budget and was produced under extremely primitive conditions in the basement of a rental property on the town's northeast side. However, the show quickly mutated in both style and substance as the producers moved to new housing and employed different production techniques.

Production and distribution

Everson and bartender Joe Nickell produced three seasons of television from 1992 to 1995. Each season consisted of 26 (or more) weekly program of approximately half an hour in length.

As the producers became more ambitious, the program expanded to public access cable stations in other cities through the laborious process of sending individual tapes through the mail.

In April 1995, ten years before the launch of YouTube, Rox began distributing via the web. The debut internet episode, "Global Village Idiots," was produced in segmented fashion and encoded as a series of short QuickTime videos for download from the show's website at rox.com. The program was hailed as the first television series on the internet [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] and an example of "the real impact of the digital revolution in pop culture." [11]

Everson and Nickell ceased production in 1995, citing financial difficulties, [12] but distribution continued to expand. The producers signed several contracts with Free Speech TV, allowing for distribution via satellite on Dish Network. In the early days of Free Speech TV, this was "the network's most popular show." [13]

Nickell moved to Montana; Everson relocated to New Orleans, but after an eight-year hiatus, they resumed production with their 87th episode. [14]

Subject matter and stylistic approach

Over the course of four seasons and almost a hundred episodes, Rox has covered a wide variety of topics, from the banal task of defrosting a freezer to broader social issues such as poverty and marijuana legalization. The program never uses scripts, employing a reality-based technique of capturing video on the fly, improvising performances, and assembling a narrative after the fact.

One early report described the show as "an offbeat look at art, life, culture, society, and whatever else the two hosts feel like looking at. The basic premise is that of teaching the viewers how to mix a variety of drinks." [15]

However, over the long term, the true subject of the series has proven to be the lives of the producers and their community. This broad approach was reflected when the name of the show was shortened from J&B on the Rox to simply Rox. "We took J&B out of the name of the show because the show's not really about the two of us, it's about the community," Nickell said in an interview at the time. "We call it reality-based because it's based on people's lives." [16]

Many have branded the show as a form of countercultural identity production, with various commentators labeling it as "a good depiction of the slacker lifestyle in Bloomington of the early '90s", [17] "equal parts slacker diary, societal satire and improvisational theater", [1] "a revealing slacker diary and satiric tour de farce of the Bohemian lifestyle," [18] "transform[ing] the bleakest realities of everyday Bloomington, IN, life into 30 minutes of social satire and bohemian adventure." [19]

The show's "early ’90s, grunge aesthetic" [20] is reflected in the "blatantly amateur" [17] camerawork, "grainy" video and "uneven sound." [4]

Through it all, one constant theme has been the mixing and consumption of alcoholic beverages by Joe Nickell, the show's ostensible bartender. Though the program's early history coincided roughly with the beginning of the American craft cocktail renaissance, it can hardly be described as participating in that trend. Indeed, reporters have accused Nickell of perpetrating "the most disgusting cocktails ever conceived" [4] on an unsuspecting populace.

Cast and crew

Because of the shoestring nature of the production, the people behind the camera are usually the same people who are in front of it. No distinction is made between cast and crew.

Among the hundreds of people who have appeared on the show, the following have logged the most time.

Notable guests

Controversies

Since the beginning, Rox has courted controversy, initially through attempting to air allegedly obscene material and later through provocative, politically charged depictions of illegal activities.

First season

Conflicts between Rox producers and the Monroe County Public Library (which housed the CATS public access station) cropped up almost immediately, beginning with episode 5 and continuing with episodes 22 and 24.

Telecommunications scholar Lindsy Pack details these three early episodes in a study titled "Ambiguous Standards, Arbitrary Enforcement." [21] The three episodes involved coprophagia, simulated masturbation, and a close-up shot of male genitalia; none were cablecast in their entirety, and were shown only in censored form.

Episode 5, "Rum & Coke Special," featured a segment titled "Coprophagia Corner," in which the hosts displayed a photo, downloaded from the internet, which "depicted a woman defecating into a man's mouth." [21] The episode was held by station director Michael White, and reviewed by the library board. Some members of the board wanted to cancel the series entirely, but in the end a compromise was reached. A portion of the screen was blacked out and the caption "Censored by order of the Monroe County Public Library" was displayed with the library's phone number included; the audio track, which explicitly described the image, was allowed to remain intact.

The controversies surrounding episodes 22 ("Boyz Nite In") and 24 ("A Badly Dubbed Foreign Film") entailed more media attention. Both episodes included video of penises -- in the first case, two real ones, in the second case, a fake. When these episodes were held for review, it got into local newspapers. [22] [23]

Pack found the library's review procedures to be unclear and decried the "policy void" as "unacceptable, and perhaps even unconstitutional." [21]

CATS has since established itself as a "dedicated constitutional forum," [24] in part because of these disputes.

Another side effect to these clashes was to galvanize the producers. When two of the episodes were held back for review, Everson and Nickell chose to run a looping message in their place, which asked viewers to write in. "Our mailbox was stuffed for the next few weeks," Everson wrote twenty years after the fact. "Suddenly we became aware that we had an audience." [25]

Second season

In April 1994, episode 59 generated the show's biggest controversy to date, when the hosts smoked marijuana in front of the Monroe County Courthouse, as a way of dramatizing the argument for legalization. [26] (Marijuana was illegal everywhere in the United States at the time.) The story was covered by all three network affiliates in Indianapolis (the nearest large market) with clips from Rox landing on The Howard Stern Show and, eventually, in MTV's documentary, Straight Dope: An MTV News Special Report on Drugs. [27]

"Local response was mostly positive," [28] however not everyone was impressed. The Indiana Governor's Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana attempted to shut the show down, with executive director Joseph E. Mills III accusing the producers of "the overt promotion of anarchy." [1] [29]

Third season

Undeterred, Rox responded with episode 64, "The Overt Promotion of Anarchy," which reveled in the designation, explored the political philosophy of anarchism, documented police brutality at a Critical Mass bicycle ride, and provided explicit instructions on how to construct a "red box" for circumventing payphone fees on long-distance calls. This segment generated some attention from Indianapolis television news and newspapers. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloomington, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, United States. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 census. It is the seventh-most populous city in Indiana and the fourth-most populous outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area. It is the home of Indiana University Bloomington, the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Established in 1820, IU Bloomington enrolls over 45,000 students.

A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic.

Jonny Quest is a science fiction–adventure media franchise created by Doug Wildey for Hanna-Barbera. It revolves around the titular Jonny Quest, a boy who accompanies his scientist father on extraordinary adventures. The franchise started with a 1964–65 television series of the same name, and has come to include two sequel television series, two television films and three video games. It is currently owned by Warner Bros. after Hanna-Barbera was absorbed by Warner Bros. Animationand succeeded by Cartoon Network Studios.

Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was created in the United States between 1969 and 1971 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under Chairman Dean Burch, based on pioneering work and advocacy of George Stoney, Red Burns, and Sidney Dean.

<i>The Campbell Playhouse</i> (radio series) Radio series

The Campbell Playhouse (1938–1940) was a live CBS radio drama series directed by and starring Orson Welles. Produced by Welles and John Houseman, it was a sponsored continuation of The Mercury Theatre on the Air. The series offered hour-long adaptations of classic plays and novels, as well as adaptations of popular motion pictures.

<i>Garfield and Friends</i> American animated television series

Garfield and Friends is an American animated television series based on the comic strip Garfield by Jim Davis. The show aired on CBS as part of its Saturday morning children's lineup from September 17, 1988 to December 10, 1994.

Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as television series and films, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable television, and/or satellite television systems, streaming television is provided as over-the-top media (OTT), or as Internet Protocol television (IPTV). In the United States, streaming television has become "the dominant form of TV viewing."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTIU</span> PBS member station in Bloomington, Indiana

WTIU is a PBS member television station in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is owned by Indiana University alongside NPR member WFIU. The two stations share studios on the Indiana University campus on East 7th Street in Bloomington; WTIU's transmitter is located on Sare Road on the city's southeast side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTTV</span> CBS affiliate in Bloomington, Indiana

WTTV and WTTK are television stations licensed respectively to Bloomington and Kokomo, Indiana, United States, serving as the CBS affiliates for the Indianapolis area. They are owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Fox affiliate WXIN. The stations share studios on Network Place in northwestern Indianapolis. WTTV's transmitter is located on State Road 252 in Trafalgar, while WTTK's transmitter sits on West 73rd Street on the northern outskirts of Indianapolis.

WIPX-TV is a television station licensed to Bloomington, Indiana, United States, serving the Indianapolis area as an affiliate of Ion Television. It is owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings alongside Scripps News affiliate WCLJ-TV. WIPX-TV and WCLJ-TV share offices on Production Drive in southwestern Indianapolis; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WIPX-TV's spectrum from an antenna on SR 252 in Trafalgar, Indiana.

<i>Night Flight</i> (TV series) American variety television program

Night Flight is an online visual-arts magazine and variety television show that originated on cable TV network USA Network. It originally aired from 1981 to 1988 before moving to syndication in the early 1990s. The show relaunched online on nightflight.com in 2015 with original episodes that can be streamed on the subscription channel Night Flight Plus. In April 2018, it returned to cable television as a short form (15-minute) program airing late Friday nights/early Saturday mornings on the network IFC. It includes a mix of mainstream and alternative music videos, artist interviews, B movies, documentaries, short films, stand-up comedy and animation.

<i>Studio One</i> (American TV series) Television program (1948–1958)

Studio One is an American anthology drama television series that was adapted from a radio series. It was created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. It premiered on November 7, 1948, and ended on September 29, 1958, with a total of 467 episodes over the course of 10 seasons.

A web series is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single instance of a web series program can be called an episode or a webisode. The scale of a web series is small and a typical episode can be anywhere from three to fifteen minutes in length. Web series are distributed online on video sharing websites and apps, such as YouTube, Vimeo and TikTok, and can be watched on devices such as smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops, and Smart TVs. They can also be released on social media platforms. Because of the nature of the Internet, a web series may be interactive and immersive. Web series are classified as new media.

<i>TMZ on TV</i> American syndicated entertainment and gossip news television show, 2007–present

TMZ on TV is an American syndicated entertainment and gossip news television show that premiered on September 10, 2007. It is essentially a televised version of its sister operation, TMZ, a news website which has a heavy emphasis on gossip about celebrities' personal lives, and which debuted in December 2005.

<i>ECW Hardcore TV</i> American professional wrestling television program

ECW Hardcore TV is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by the Philadelphia based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) composed of footage from live shows and recorded interviews. It ran in syndication from April 6, 1993 to December 31, 2000.

<i>AgDay</i> American syndicated agriculture news TV program (1982–)

AgDay is a syndicated daily half-hour television program presented in magazine format focusing on agriculture news, agribusiness, and country living. It generally airs in early morning timeslots on stations throughout the country and also airs weekday mornings on the digital cable and satellite channel RFD-TV. It is taped at WNDU studios in South Bend, Indiana. It is hosted and produced by Clinton Griffiths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monroe County Courthouse (Indiana)</span> United States historic place

Monroe County Courthouse in Bloomington, Indiana is a Beaux Arts building built in 1908. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It is located in the Courthouse Square Historic District and is the seat of government for Monroe County, Indiana.

Family Broadcasting Corporation, formerly known as LeSEA Broadcasting, is an American Christian television network. Founded by Lester Sumrall in 1972, Family Broadcasting Corporation is headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, and broadcasts Christian and family programming. Peter Sumrall, son of Lester Sumrall, served as its president and chief executive officer from 2002 to 2015. His son, Drew Sumrall, now serves in the same position.

<i>Mr. Adams and Eve</i> 1957 TV series

Mr. Adams and Eve is an American sitcom television series about a married couple who are both movie stars. It stars Howard Duff and Ida Lupino and aired on CBS from January 4, 1957, to July 8, 1958.

<i>Sweepstakes</i> (TV series) 1979 American television series

Sweepstakes, stylized as $weepstake$, is an American anthology television series that aired in the United States on NBC during the 1978–-79 television season. It depicts the lives of people who hope to win a large amount of money in a sweepstakes and what happens after they win — or do not win — the money.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hall, Steve (1995-05-20). "In the realm of the uncensored". The Indianapolis Star.
  2. ↑ Frauenfelder, Mark (1995-12-01). "The Real Real World". Wired. Everson learned how to produce a TV show after being arrested for streaking across the university campus. His sentence: public service at a community access station. It was there that he learned all the cool, judiciously applied editing tricks that make Rox such a treat to watch.
  3. ↑ Hiller, Nancy (2012-09-20). "The Story of CATS Community Access TV Services". Bloom. Bart Everson, was ordered by the Monroe County court system to work in CATS as public restitution for streaking across campus. Using the skills he learned through that experience, Everson devised his own program
  4. 1 2 3 4 Leonard, Mike (2012-06-03). "Rox cable pioneers to celebrate 20th anniversary of locally-made program". The Herald-Times. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  5. ↑ "National Rox Day proclamation". The City of Bloomington. 2013-07-03. WHEREAS, although Joe Nickell and Bart Everson didn't set out to become television pioneers, that's exactly what happened when J&B on the Rox hit the airwaves on July 7, 1992;
  6. ↑ Quittner, Joshua (1995-05-01). "Radio Free Cyberspace". Time. Last week, as their 85th episode, Global Village Idiots, was flickering across Bloomington televisions, it was simultaneously stored on the Internet, where millions of people worldwide could retrieve it — the first television show broadcast in cyberspace.
  7. ↑ Gallman, Dave (1995-04-13). "Global Village Idiots". The Bloomington Voice.
  8. ↑ McCleskey, Joe (1995-07-01). "Slacker Video on the Net". Videomaker. ROX has become the world's first on-demand Internet TV series; through the World Wide Web, viewers can download shows from the series at any time and play them on a home computer.
  9. ↑ Horodezky, Sam (1995-09-01). "Pioneers: The First and Weirdest Online TV". Shift.
  10. ↑ Harmon, Amy (1996-01-10). "Do-It-Yourself Directors". Los Angeles Times. Bart Everson, 24, of Bloomington, Ind., is a telemarketer by day. But with a palmcorder, a "video toaster" and an ancient Mac SE, he and three friends also produce "Rox," the first TV show to be distributed on the Internet. It's already developed something of a cult following.
  11. ↑ Harmon.
  12. ↑ Branwyn, Gareth (1997). Jamming the Media . Chronicle Books. pp.  167–170. ISBN   0-8118-1795-4.
  13. ↑ Immergut, Debra Jo (1998-05-28). "Webcast News". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  14. ↑ Leonard, Mike (2004-01-29). "They're back". The Herald-Times.
  15. ↑ Snedeker, Marge (1993-09-01). "Stumbling into a second season of stupidity!". The Bloomington Voice.
  16. ↑ "Local show kicks off third season". The Indiana Daily Student. 1994-09-20.
  17. 1 2 Kheiry, Jamal (1994-04-08). "Unstructured (Life) Style Draws Cult Following". LUX (IDS Entertainment Guide).
  18. 1 2 Hammer, Steve; Poyser, Jim (1995-01-18). "J&B: Life on the ROX". NUVO Newsweekly.
  19. ↑ "[capsule review]". Real People: The Magazine of Celebrities and Interesting People. 1996-05-01.
  20. ↑ Gilmer, Terry. "ROX: TV Show of the Millennium". Cashiers du Cinemart . No. 11.
  21. 1 2 3 Pack, Lindsy (2000). "Ambiguous Standards, Arbitrary Enforcement: Cable Access TV and Controversial Programming". In Pritchard, David (ed.). Holding the Media Accountable: Citizens, Ethics, and the Law. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. 130–135. ISBN   978-0-253-21357-0.
  22. ↑ Christensen, Brent (1993-02-12). "Trouble on the soap box". The Herald-Times.
  23. ↑ Kheiry, Jamal (1993-03-02). "J&B on rocks with BCAT". The Indiana Daily Student.
  24. ↑ Hiller.
  25. ↑ Everson, Bart (2012-07-01). "A Season on the Drink". Ryder.
  26. ↑ Watson, Matthew (1994-04-12). "Pros and cons of marijuana use to be TV show topic". The Herald-Times. In one scene, Nickell and Everson smoke a joint in front of the county courthouse. But they said they are confident their actions are protected by the First Amendment.
  27. ↑ Demas, Pete (Director) (1994-08-23). Straight Dope: An MTV News Special Report on Drugs (Television production). MTV News. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  28. ↑ McMahan, Jill (1994-09-14). "Not selling out: J&B premiere of Rox at the 'Bird". The Bloomington Voice.
  29. ↑ Carson, Tom (1997-05-13). "1-2-C Red Light". The Village Voice.
  30. ↑ Hall, Steve (1995-01-24). "Cable access offers 'ROX,' an excess of irreverence". The Indianapolis Star.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.