Mass media chapter 2

Electronic technology

Digital standard adopted in 2009 for television broadcasting.

RCA

The first company to have a successful color broadcast system in 1954.

CBS

Attempted to be the first to bring color TV to the public.

Early television programs

Often sponsored by a single company, featuring dramas and live shows.

Game shows

Introduced by networks to increase revenue from viewership.

Prime time quiz shows

Cheap to produce, leading to a surge in commercial sponsors' revenue.

Revlon sales

Increased from 1.2 million to 10 million due to quiz show popularity.

CATV

Community antenna television, the first small cable systems developed in the late 1950s.

Satellite technology

Launched by AT&T in 1972 with Telstar, enabling transmission of TV signals.

Cable services

Expanded to include basic cable (100+ channels), premium cable (HBO, Showtime), and pay-per-view.

Video on demand (VOD)

Emerged in the early 2000s, allowing viewers to watch content at their convenience.

DBS

Direct broadcast satellite, providing cable TV without the need for wires.

MUST CARRY rules

FCC regulation requiring cable operators to carry all local TV broadcasts.

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Allowed media owners to operate TV, radio, and phone companies in the same market.

Home video technology

Introduced VCRs in 1975, DVDs in the 1980s, and DVRs by 2012.

Time shifting

The practice of recording shows to watch later, reducing live viewership.

Screens

The evolution of viewing platforms from movie screens to smartphones and mobile devices.

Rating

A percentage of households tuned in to watch a show, calculated based on total households with a TV.

Share

The percentage of households watching a given program compared to all households watching TV.

samuel morse

developed a way to send electrical impulses from across a wire.

When was the first telegraph?

1844

Maxwell

theorized the existence of electromagnetic waves (radio) could be harnessed to transmit signals

hertz proved this theory

Who invented wireless telography?

Macroni

Who is deemed the inventor of radio?

Nikola Tesla

broadcasting

the transmission of radio (and later tv) to a broadcasted public audience

narrowcasting

person to person communication, like telegraph and telephone.

what transportation vehiclein 1910 required wireless equipment?

ships (had to have it at an 100 mile radius)

How was the RCA (radio corp. of America) founded?

When GE broke off negotiations to sell radio technologies to Europe.

How did radio make money?

through commercials

Who and What radio company dethroned NBC in 1949?

CBS with William parley

What was the Radio Act of 1927?

stations could only license their channels as long as they operated to the public interest, convenience or necessity

What came out of the Radio Act?

The Federal Communications Commission

(formally FRC)

What was war of the worlds?

orson well’s broadcast of a fake alien invasion which caused the FCC to have stricter warnings on programs imitating the news.

What are transistors?

small electric devices that could receive and amplify radio signals, and made radio portable

What was payola?

paying a commercial radio station to play a song without the station disclosing the payment.

What were Nickelodeons?

the first indoor movie theater that played films via a 2nd-hand projector and a white sheet, with live music.

Who formed a hollywood film cartel and what was the name?

Thomas Edison started the TRUST, which had people supplying it with movie film and patents for film tech.

What lead to the collapse of the TRUST?

Adolph Zukor and William Fox (who founded paramount and fox) developed tactics to control the industry beyond patents of technology.

Production

First level of vertical integration

actors’ pay rose due to the industry level of popularity, going from $1,000 to $15,000

Distribution

Second level of vertical integration

block distribution is to gain access to popular films, renters had to rent or purchase marginal films with no stars (think of it like an opener to the main event)

what happened to europe’s distribution of film?

It got disupted by WW1 and by the end of the war, Hollywood stepped in and has lead the way ever since.

Exhibition

third level of vertical integration

What were the big five back in 1925?

paramount, MGM, Warner Bros, 20th century fox, and RKO

who were the little three?

Colombia, Universal, and United Artists

What was the first sound movie?

the jazz singer

True or False: 80%-90% of films fail to make money at the box office

True

What are six ways studios make money today?

1. theater box offices

2. streaming sales/DVD

3. pay-per-view(HBO)

4. distribution in foreign markets

5. distributing indie films

6. merchandise licensing and product placement.

earliest account of newspaper?

59 BC (acta divina)

who developed the first newspaper?

Julius Ceaser

What was north America’s first newspaper

public occurrences

published in 1690 by benjamin harris

How did the news become affordable?

Due to the industrial revolution and the printing press

penny papers

What newspaper was the first free from the government or without political influence?

The new york morning herald

What did six newspapers form and from where?

The associated press, New York

What was the qualities yellow journalism?

1. overlay dramatic and sensational

2. created the concept of ‘investigative journalism”

Who created the post-dispatch and viewed newspaper as a ‘national conscience’?

Joseph Pulitzer

What is objective journalism?

to maintain a neutral attitude towards the issue

What are the three press responsiblites?

1. to make a current record

2. make a running analysis of it

3. on the basis of both, to suggest plans

What is literary journalism?

descriptive journalism storytelling techniques

What was the first newspaper to go online?

Columbus dispatch

What was the first newspaper to change to color?

USA today