Chapter 7: Radio, Recording, and Popular Music
Baran: Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture, 9e TB-7 | 1
whole or part.
Chapter 7: Radio, Recording, and Popular Music
Test Questions
1. Online audio file sharing that employs a person-to-person exchange of files while bypassing
centralized servers is called
a. P2P.
b. Napster.
c. IBOC.
d. DMX.
2. Web “radio stations” that exist solely on the Web are referred to as
a. IBOCs.
b. bitcasters.
c. pirate stations.
d. streamers.
3. _____________ refers to freely downloaded software from the Web.
a. Open source
b. P2P
c. Napster
d. Bitcast
4. “Radio” that is delivered to people’s homes through their cable and/or satellite television
services is called
a. P2P.
b. IBOC.
c. DMX.
d. DARS.
5. “Radio” that is delivered directly to people’s homes and cars by satellite is called
a. P2P.
b. IBOC.
c. DMX.
d. DARS.
6. The _________ deal is how the music business operated for decades. It states that the label
underwrites the recording, manufacturing, distribution, and promotion of its artists’ music.
Chapter 7: Radio, Recording, and Popular Music
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whole or part.
a. standard distribution
b. profit sharing
c. 360
d. license
7. Some people consider _____________ the “Father of Radio,” because he was the first
person to send radio waves over long distances.
a. Lee DeForest
b. Guglielmo Marconi
c. David Sarnoff
d. Heinrich Hertz
8. _____________ was the first person to send voices and music over the air.
a. Lee DeForest
b. Guglielmo Marconi
c. David Sarnoff
d. Heinrich Hertz
9. Marconi’s interest in developing wireless transmission was
a. mass communication—transmitting messages to large audiences.
b. point–to-point communication.
c. the development of an advanced radio telescope.
d. in replacing the telephone with radio.
10. Canadian inventor _____________ developed the liquid barretter in 1903, making possible
the radio reception of voices.
a. Lee DeForest
b. Thomas Edison
c. David Sarnoff
d. Reginald Fessenden
11. The audion tube, a vacuum tube that improved and amplified wireless signals, was developed
in 1906 by
a. Lee DeForest.
b. Thomas Edison.
c. David Sarnoff.
d. Reginald Fessenden.
12. Lee DeForest’s major contribution to the history of radio, other than the invention of the
audion tube, was the development and popularization of the use of radio for
a. advertising.
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whole or part.
b. news.
c. broadcasting.
d. ship-to-shore communication.
13. The first “talking machine,” or sound-recording method, was developed in 1887 by
a. Lee DeForest.
b. Thomas Edison.
c. David Sarnoff.
d. Reginald Fessenden.
14. The primary drawback of the Edison talking machine for sound recording was
a. poor sound fidelity made it unpopular with listeners.
b. high cost made it unpopular with buyers.
c. its availability could not meet demand.
15. German immigrant Emile Berliner developed an improved sound recording device in 1887
called the
a. gramophone.
b. dictaphone.
c. vitaphone.
d. diskophone.
16. What was the major advance that Berliner’s gramophone brought to sound recording?
a. It could accurately reproduce high fidelity.
b. It could run on battery power.
c. It allowed for the creation of a master, from which copies could be made.
d. all of these
17. Beyond the development of the gramophone, Emile Berliner advanced sound recording
through his importation of well-known music from Europe and the
a. development of the 45 rpm record.
b. development of the 33-1/3 rpm record.
c. development of the battery-powered phonograph.
d. development of a sophisticated microphone for recording.
18. In 1916, David Sarnoff sent his ideas on how to make radio a “household utility” to his
superiors at American Marconi. This now-famous memo is called the
a. Radio Network Memo.
b. Radio Music Box Memo.
c. Orchestra in a Box Memo.
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Baran: Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture, 9e TB-7 | 4
whole or part.
d. Network Radio Memo.
19. Immediately after World War I, the U.S. government, concerned that the development of radio
would be delayed by patent fights and that its future would be controlled by a foreign
company (British Marconi), established a government-sanctioned monopoly to run radio
called
a. American Marconi.
b. General Electric.
c. American Telephone and Telegraph.
d. Radio Corporation of America.
20. Which of the following was NOT a part of the creation of the Radio Corporation of America?
a. American Marconi
b. General Electric
c. American Telephone and Telegraph
d. Columbia Broadcasting System
21. History’s first commercial radio license went to station _____________in Pittsburgh in 1920.
a. WNBC
b. WEAF
c. KCBS
d. KDKA
22. The first instance of U.S. government regulation of radio was the _____________, passed
soon after the passengers of the sinking ship Republic were saved because that vessel was
equipped with a radio.
a. Wireless Ship Act of 1910
b. Radio Act of 1912
c. Radio Act of 1927
d. Communications Act of 1934
23. After the sinking of the Titanic, the U.S. Congress passed the _____________, mandating
among other things that wireless operators be licensed by the secretary of commerce and
labor.
a. Wireless Ship Act of 1910
b. Radio Act of 1912
c. Radio Act of 1927
d. Communications Act of 1934
24. The _____________ established definitions of authority between federal and state
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whole or part.
governments, provided for the distribution and revocation of licenses, fined violators,
assigned frequencies for operation, and set the hours during which a station was authorized
to broadcast.
a. Wireless Ship Act of 1910
b. Radio Act of 1912
c. Radio Act of 1927
d. Communications Act of 1934
25. The P2P software which most fuels the contemporary recording industry’s piracy fears is
______. This is file-sharing software that allows anonymous users to create “swarms” of data
as they simultaneously download and upload “bits” of content from countless, untraceable
servers.
a. Freenet
b. BitTorrent
c. Grockster
d. MP3
26. The radio industry was on the brink of disaster in the 1920s and radio sales were down
because
a. listeners could no longer afford radios.
b. listeners did not like the programs.
c. listeners felt radio was too chaotic.
d. all of these
27. When broadcasters asked the government to help them solve their interference and other
operational problems during the 1920s, it responded with
a. a series of four National Radio Conferences.
b. a refusal to cooperate.
c. the Communications Act of 1934.
d. strict rules of ownership and advertising.
28. The four National Radio Conferences produced what important piece of federal legislation of
broadcasting?
a. the Wireless Ship Act of 1910
b. the Radio Act of 1912
c. the Radio Act of 1927
d. the Communications Act of 1934
29. The Radio Act of 1927 ensured that the airwaves belonged to
a. the broadcasters.
b. the government.
c. the Radio Corporation of America.
d. the public.
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whole or part.
30. The Radio Act of 1927 required that when a radio license was awarded, the standard of
evaluation would be
a. the station’s ability to survive financially.
b. noninterference with neighboring stations.
c. the public interest, convenience, or necessity.
d. reasonable limits on time devoted to advertising.
31. The concept that broadcasters in the United States license use of the airwaves owned by the
people is called the _____________ model of regulation.
a. receivership
b. paternalistic
c. economic
d. trustee
32. The trustee model of broadcast regulation is based in part on the premise that because
broadcast spectrum space is limited, and therefore not everyone who wants to broadcast
can, those who are granted licenses to serve a local area must accept regulation. This is
called the philosophy of
a. spectrum scarcity.
b. media influence.
c. fiduciary rule.
d. trusteeism.
33. In its earliest days, the radio industry earned income through
a. subscribership.
b. government subsidies.
c. sale of receivers.
d. license fees.
34. The first radio commercial appeared on station _____________ in 1922.
a. WNBC
b. WEAF
c. KCBS
d. KDKA
35. Stations that link themselves to a national broadcast network for the purpose of airing its
programs are called
a. O&Os.
b. affiliates.
c. independents.
Chapter 7: Radio, Recording, and Popular Music
d. translator stations.
36. RCA established the first national radio network in 1926, linking 24 stations and called
a. CBS.
b. NBC.
c. NBC Blue.
d. ABC.
37. Stations that are owned and operated by a broadcast network are called
a. O&Os.
b. affiliates.
c. independents.
d. translator stations.
38. When, in 1943, the government ordered NBC to divest itself of one of its networks, it sold
NBC Blue to Edward Noble, who renamed it
a. CBS.
b. Mutual.
c. NBC Blue.
d. ABC.
39. The ownership and management of multiple radio stations in a single market by one person
or company is called
a. deregulation.
b. syndication.
c. monopoly.
d. duopoly.
40. The three major recording companies, Sony, Universal, and Warner Music Group, own nearly
____ of the music market.
a. 90%
b. 80%
c. 65%
d. 50%
41. Services that allow the simultaneous downloading and accessing of music are
a. bitcasting.
b. streaming.
c. web radios.
d. podcasting.
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whole or part.
42. Subscription sites that allow users to store their digital music online and stream it to any
digital device anywhere are known as
a. Web radio.
b. podcasts.
c. cloud-music services.
d. MP3s.
43. Marconi saw his wireless as a way to broadcast content to large audiences.
44. There is universal acceptance by the electronics industry of copy-protected CDs.
45. The Radio Act of 1927 created the Federal Radio Commission.
46. More people listen to AM radio than FM radio.
47. The Radio Act of 1927 provided spectrum space for noncommercial radio, eventually
developing into what we know today as National Public Radio.
48. IBOC is one form of Web radio.
49. Broadcast radio’s audience growth is increasing.
50. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 led to deregulation in the radio industry, which allowed
the existence of duopolies.
51. Unlike most other media, the recording industry has not yet experienced concentration; to
date, the three major recording companies control only 25% of the market in the United
Chapter 7: Radio, Recording, and Popular Music
States.
52. In radio, the dollars earned from the sale of air time are called billings.
53. Much of smartphone and tablet listening occurs via social networking sites’ streaming
services.
54. What is the difference between IBOC, DARS, and DMX?
55. What were Lee DeForest’s contributions to the development of radio?
55. What were the limitations of Thomas Edison’s recording technology?
56. How did the sinking of the Titanic alter the history of radio?
57. What is the trustee model of broadcast regulation?
58. What is the difference between an O&O and an affiliate?
59. What is meant by radio’s local nature? Why does this make radio an attractive medium to
advertisers?
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whole or part.
60. What are secondary services? Provide an example of what might be a secondary service.
61. Radio billings are amassed in three ways. List and describe them.
62. How have satellite and cable affected the radio and sound-recording industries?
63. On what two premises is the trustee model of broadcast regulation based? Do you think these
premises form an adequate basis for regulation? Explain your answer.
64. Describe how critics see conglomeration restricting the kinds of music available to listeners.
Do you agree or disagree with their complaints?
65. What is your view of shock jocks, such as Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh? Do you believe
they should be censored? What are the cultural costs and benefits of allowing shock jocks on
the air?
66. Digital music sales have surpassed physical sales as of 2011. What are some of the reasons
for this? Can you think of additional reasons? What does this mean for the recording industry
and the musical artists within it?