Media Studies Chapter 08 Homework Based on the idea that programming should be available to all

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Hanson, Mass Communication 8e

SAGE Publishing, 2022

Lecture Notes

Chapter 8: Television and Video: Broadcast and Beyond

Learning Objectives

1-2 Identify the type of early connection to cable television used in rural communities and

explain the meaning behind its name

1-4 Explain why researchers believe that watching too much television may negatively affect

behavior and provide examples

1-5 Identify the “big step” in our redefinition of television and how it kicked off paid video

streaming

Annotated Chapter Outline

I. Broadcast Television

A. Initially: limited options broadcasted at no cost to viewers

B. 1980s: viewers could choose when and what to watch

C. Based on the idea that programming should be available to all viewers and should be

paid for through advertising

D. Philo T. Farnsworth

i. Invented electronic television

ii. Fight over the patent and royalties

iii. WWII and the expiration of the patents

E. The Beginning of Broadcasting

i. 1948 to 1952: freezing of licensing of new television stations to give the FCC and

television producers time to plan for the new technology

ii. Shows in the early period

iii. Lucy, Desi, and the End of Live Television

a. I Love Lucy

a. Two challenges

b. Use of rerun rights

c. Pioneer of the modern sit-com

iv. The Arrival of Color Television

a. 1965: all three of the original TV networks broadcasted in color

b. Slow acceptance from the price of TV sets

II. Cable and Satellite Television

Hanson, Mass Communication 8e

SAGE Publishing, 2022

A. Cable/satellite: initially designed as a delivery system for broadcast channels

i. For people in remote or mountainous areas

B. Community antenna television (CATV): early form of cable television that used an

antenna and cable systems

i. Expensive

C. HBO: first service to provide programming

D. Big Three networks: NBC, CBS, and ABC

E. Ted Turner’s Cable TV Empire

i. Creation of modern cable television

ii. Purchase of a local station

a. Use of sports team and franchise

iii. Creation of CNN: first twenty-four hours news channel

iv. Added programming like TNT, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies

v. Acquirement by Time Warner

vi. Launch of ESPN

vii. New range of programming

viii. See Figure 8.1

ix. Hollywood and the VCR

a. Videocassette recorder (VCR): appliance that allowed viewers to make

F. Digital Television: HDTV and DVRs

i. Shift to computerized digital technology

ii. Adoption of digital video recorders (DVRs)

iii. Video on demand (VOD): includes streaming services, smart TV apps, or on-

demand system

iv. Shutdown of analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009

v. Two distinct digital formats

a. High-definition television (HDTV): widescreen format, ultra-clear high-

resolution picture with superior sound

III. The Changing Business of Television

A. Television networks: companies that provide programs to local stations around the

country

Hanson, Mass Communication 8e

SAGE Publishing, 2022

i. Affiliate stations: require license of the FCC, equipment, and local staff

a. Can choose what shows to carry

b. Can run locally produced programs if they pay for them

B. Noncommercial broadcasting

i. Public Broadcasting Act of 1967

ii. Funding sources

iii. Daytime children’s programming

a. Sesame Street

iv. PBS underwriters

v. Creation of the Fox broadcast network

C. Big Four networks: NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox

D. Defining Ratings

i. Importance of the audience size

a. Determines rates for commercials

ii. Factors considered when measuring audiences

a. Live only—People who are watching the program live as it happens

b. Live + SD—People who watch the program the same day as it airs. If you

record a program on your DVR and start watching it fifteen minutes

after it starts, this is you

c. Live + 3—People who watch the program live or within three days of

airing

d. Live + 7—People who watch the program within seven days of its airing.

This is the most complete measure of a show’s popularity

iii. Major provider of viewership data (Nielsen Media Research)

iv. People meter: viewers push buttons on the machine to record who is watching

programs at specific times

v. Sweeps: periods (November, February, May, and July) where Nielsen looks at the

audience size of individual stations

vi. Rating point: the percentage of the total potential television audience actually

watching the show

vii. Share: the percentage of television sets in use that are tuned to a particular show

E. An Earthquake in Slow Motion

i. Loss of viewers

v. Netflix and streaming services

F. Diversity on Television

i. Presents a world that is overwhelmingly white, male, and middle class

Hanson, Mass Communication 8e

SAGE Publishing, 2022

ii. Portrayals of Asian Americans

a. Impact of whitewashing

b. Limited or nonexistent representation

c. Pressure of representation

a. Fresh Off the Boat

d. Shows with black leads

a. Substantial nonblack audiences

e. Increased LGBTQ programming on streaming services

iii. Univision and Spanish-Language Broadcasting

a. Substantial growth in Spanish-language television

b. Success of Univision

a. Journalism style

b. Jorge Ramos and confrontational interviews

c. Telenovelas: soap operas

IV. Television and Society

A. Speed of television’s integration into society

i. Led to concern about effects on viewers

B. Amount of exposure to television

i. Time spent watching

ii. Domination of free time

iii. Significant differences between heavy and light television viewers

C. How Do Viewers Use Television?

i. To be entertained

ii. To learn things or gain information

iii. For social reasons

D. Standards for Television

i. Strict controls in the 1950s and 1960s

iv. 1997: two-part rating system

a. Age-appropriateness: G, PG, TV-14, and TV-MA

b. Content rating: S, V, L, and D

v. Use of TV-MA rating

a. Cable and streaming shows

E. The Problem of Decency

Hanson, Mass Communication 8e

SAGE Publishing, 2022

i. 2004 Super Bowl halftime show

ii. Indecency and obscene programming

iii. Indecency applies to broadcast materials but not to cable or satellite material

iv. Fallout

V. Redefining Television in the Twenty-First Century

A. Constantly changing technology

i. Fiber-optic cable

B. 2005: redefinition of television

i. Apple iPod that offered current television shows

ii. Start of Netflix

C. Introduction of Disney+ in 2019

i. Data collection on customers

ii. Relationship interaction with customers

D. Cut the cord: disconnecting from a traditional pay video service and replacing it with

content streamed over the internet

E. Ongoing issues for cable economics