单选题
American dramas and sitcoms (连续剧) would have been candidates for prime time several years ago. But today those programs--though some remain popular- increasingly occupy fringe times slots on foreign networks. Instead, a growing number of shows produced by local broadcasters are on the air at the best times. The shift counters longstanding assumptions that TV shows produced in the United States would continue to overshadow locally produced shows from Singapore to Sicily. The changes are coming at a time when the influence of the United States on_ international affairs has chafed (使恼火) friends and foes, and some people are expressing relief that at least on television American culture is no longer quite the force it once was. "There has always been a concern that the image of the world would be shaped too much by American culture," said Dr. Jo Groebek, director general of the European Institute for the Media, a non-profit group. Given the choice, he adds, foreign viewers often prefer homegrown shows that better reflect local tastes, cultures and historical events. Unlike in the United States, commercial broadcasting in most regions of the world--including Asia, Europe and a lesser extent Latin American, which has a long history of commercial TV--is a relatively recent development. A majority of broadcasters in many countries were either state-owned or state- subsidized for much of the last century. Governments began to relax their control in the 1980's by privatizing national broadcasters and granting licenses to dozens of new commercial networks. The rise of cable and satellite pay-television increased the spectrum of channels. Relatively inexperienced and often financed on a shoestring, these new commercial stations needed hours of programming fast. The cheapest and easiest way to fill airtime was to buy shows from American studios, and the bidding wars for popular shows were fierce. The big American studios took advantage of that demand by raising prices and forcing foreign broadcasters to buy less popular programs if they wanted access to the best-selling shows and movies. "The studios priced themselves out of prime time," said Harry Evans Sloan, chairman of SBS Broadcasting, a Pan-European broadcaster. Mr. Sloan estimates that over the last decade, the price &American programs has increased fivefold even as the international ratings for these shows have declined. American broadcasters are still the biggest buyers of American-made television shows, accounting for 90% of the $25 billion in 2001 sales. But international sales which totaled $2.5 billion last year often make the difference between a profit and a loss on a show. As the pace of foreign sales slows--the market is now growing at 5% a year, down from the double-digit growth of the 1990's--studio executives are rethinking production costs.
单选题
Which of the following best characterizes the image embodied in American shows?