Mass media chapter 2

Chapter 6: television and cable

Electronic technology

-digital standard adopted in 2009

4x3

-RCA had the first successful color broadcast system in 1954

-CBS tried to bring color tv first

-early television programs often had single sponsors

-dramas and live shows

Networks are always trying to pull in money from viewership

-Enter game shows

-prime time quiz shows

-cheap to produce

- 22 quiz shows by the end of 1959

-commercial sponsors' revenue surged

-revlon sales surged from 1.2 to 10 million

-dropped by networks amid allegations of being rigged.

CATV (late 1950s)

-Community antenna television

- the first small cable systems

-mountains blocked TV signals

-served 10% of country

-Had 12 channels

Satelillties benefit TV

-1972 at&t launched telstar

-the first satellite capable of receiving and sending telephone and tv signals.

1970: advances in satellite technology allow the creation of cable companies that can distribute many channels to a ‘main distribution hub’

Cable services grow

-basic cable (100+ channels)

-premium cable (HBO, showtime)

-pay-per-view(1985)(UFC, boxing)

-Video on demand (VOD) (early 2000’s)

-DBS (direct broadcast satellite)

-cable tv without wires

MUST CARRY rules

-FCC: federal comm commission

MUST CARRY rule: required all cable operators to carry all local tv broadcasts on their systems

Telecommunications Act of 1996

  • Media owners could operate tv, radio, and phone companies in the same market where they owned a cable network.

-spur competition (lower costs?)

-improve technological infrastructure

Home video threatens TV

-1975: VCR

1980s DVD

-2012 DVR (50% of US homes had them)

More than 95% have dvr technology

-Time shifting viewers record shows and watch them back at another time. This takes them away from watching networks

More ‘screens’ appear

1movie screen

2nd screen tv

3rd screen: computer screens streaming the internet

4th screen: smart phone and mobile devices

Rating = a percentage of households who are turned in to watch a show

Ex: 100 million households with a tv 20 million are watching = 20% rating

Viewers turned in to a given program

All Households with a TV

Share = household watching a given program

All households watching tv