Reality TV cast members were paid chiefly in attention, not wages

Evidence

Since An American Family, it had been a consistent and predictable consequence of reality television that cast members became famous, if only fleetingly. It was not star power of the sort one could pack up and sell elsewhere; it was the sort of celebrity Charles Van Doren had enjoyed before he was disgraced. But it was enough to pull viewers in and also to compensate the players. Indeed, as we’ve said, performers in these low-budget affairs were largely paid in attention. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 841

Categorization

• XREF: This finds an exact parallel in the history of early broadcast/quiz-show celebrity already covered in this book (Charles Van Doren), linking ‘paid in attention’ across eras. — connects to: Reality TV performers were paid in attention rather than cash — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 828; Reality TV decoupled celebrity from objective merit or achievement — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 844; Fame shifted from costly earned status to broadcast and reality-driven attention (+1 more)
• SEED: Angle: the ‘paid in attention’ economy as a precursor to modern gig and influencer labor, where visibility substitutes for salary.

Broader Connections

• Television could manufacture overnight celebrities from ordinary contestants. #responds-to (0.80) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 482
• Reality TV decoupled celebrity from objective merit or achievement #expands (0.75) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 844
• Fame shifted from costly earned status to broadcast and reality-driven attention #expands (0.72)