CHAPTER 3
Cable and Newer Media
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter students should be able to understand the following concepts:
Cable television: Trace cable’s evolution and describe how it has changed traditional broadcasting.
Domsats and superstations: Describe how domestic satellites and superstations transformed cable
from small mom-and-pop operations into the national multiple system operators (MSOs) of today.
Upgraded and other cable services: Identify advances in cable services that increase user
interactivity such as digital cable, pay-per-view and video on demand and understand other
diversified services such as broadband and telephone over cable.
Satellite services: Outline the current status of satellite programming services including direct
broadcast satellite (DBS) and satellite radio and how these services have changed the competitive
landscape.
Competitive systems: Evaluate the relevance of multi-channel multipoint distribution services
(MMDS and LMDS), and master antenna and satellite master antenna television (MATV and
SMATV, respectively) in today’s video marketplace.
CHAPTER FOCUS
Material in this chapter provides a valuable bridge between the preceding chapter on the historical
development of radio and television and the technology chapters that follow. The focus is on the historical
development of “new technologies,” which are transforming electronic media. The chapter covers the
evolution of cable television, domestic satellites, the Internet, microelectronics, recording devices,
interactive media, telephone, and a host of competitive “alphabet” services including DBS, MMDS,
LMDS, MATV, SMATV, and MP3.
All of these technologies are delivery systems (more on this later in the following chapters). And as the
short lives of some technologies bear out, unless consumers see a reason to purchase the necessary
hardware to avail themselves of such services, they will fail. Look at the early life of direct broadcast
satellites or early interactive video (Qube) and teletext for examples. Such an approach can help contrast
TERMS, CONCEPTS, AND EXERCISES
Emergence of Cable
Terms: “white areas,” repeaters, translator, community antenna television (CATV), wide-band cable,
program augmentation, redelivery service, distant signals, signal importation, must-carry rule, siphoning,
FCC cable rules of 1972, ancillary, deregulation, laissez-faire
oDescribe cable augmentation. (Cable augmentation and services can be divided into several
categories: (1) over-the-air channels, (2) local origination, (3) distance signal imports, (4)
superstations, (5) advertiser-supported cable networks, (6) pay cable networks, (7) access
Cable’s Ascendancy
Terms: cable television, domestic satellites (domsats), “open skies,” television receive-only antennas
(TVROs), Ted Turner, superstations, Home Box Office (HBO), Cable News Network (CNN), Cable-
Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN), MTV, ESPN, ESPN2, CNN/SI
oHow did development of domestic satellites (domsats) affect cable? Point out that prior to
widespread TV use of domsats, television was dominated by three over-the-air broadcast
Advanced Cable Services
Terms: interactive cable, Qube, pay-per-view, addressability, video server, digital cable, HDTV, video
on demand (VOD), broadband Internet access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), multiple system
operator (MSO)
oHow does interactive cable work? How did the Qube system differ from other cable systems?
Why did it fail? What benefits do services such as pay-per-view and video on demand promise to
subscribers?
Programs via Satellite
Terms: multi channel video program distributor (MVPD), scrambled signals, encryption, set-top box
(STB), piracy, C-band, direct-to-home satellites (DTH), direct broadcast satellite (DBS), Ku-band,
DirecTV, Dish Network (Dish), local-into-local service, satellite radio
oHow does cable combat signal piracy? How has scrambling technology combated piracy and led
to pay-per-view services? Use Exhibit 3.e for discussion. Ask students what programming they
would be willing to pay extra for. How much?
oWhy didn’t direct broadcast satellite (DBS) succeed in the U.S. in the 1980s? DBS is a classic
example of audience concern with programs rather than delivery technology. Why is DBS
Niche Services
Terms: niche service options, wireless cable, multichannel multipoint distribution services (MMDS),
Broadband Radio Service (BRS), master antenna television (MATV), satellite master antenna television
(SMATV)
oWhat are MMDS? How do they work? Why are they called “wireless cable”? Why were cable
program suppliers unwilling to provide programs to MMDS facilities? Why did MMDS fail as a
viable program delivery service?
Telephone Companies
Terms: plain old telephone service (POTS), fiber-optic network, local exchange carrier (LEC),
broadband video
oWith the return of the telcos, especially the RBOCs, how will the media landscape change in the
future? What new fiber-optic services are being offered in your area?
The Internet
Terms: Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), Internet, ARPANET, packet switching,
transmission control protocol (TCP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), World Wide Web,
graphical user interface (GUI), e-mail, peer-to-peer file sharing, social networking sites, streaming
audio and video, virtual stations, webcast, basic broadband, wireless Internet access, blogs
oHow has the Internet changed the way students communicate? What services do students use?
oHow does the Internet provide better interactive information retrieval than interactive cable? How
Electronics Revolution
Terms: analog, digital, digital revolution, solid state, transistor, miniaturization, computer chip, electronic
news gathering (ENG)
oWhich newer technologies do students use? Ask students to speculate on the next advances they
would like to see in the electronics revolution. Discuss the possibility of their ideas evolving.
Consumer Media
Terms: Walkman, digital audio tape (DAT), compact disc (CD), MP3 Moving Picture Experts Group
(MPEG), MP3 players, solid state memory card, hard disc, RSS (really simple syndication), podcast,
Napster, iTunes, videocassette recorder (VCR), time shifting, Sony, Matsushita, video home system
(VHS), digital video disc (DVD), digital video recorder (DVR), videodiscs, camcorders, personal video
recorder (PVR), digital video recorder (DVR)
oWhy were VCRs so popular? How many students have VCRs in their homes or dorm rooms?
How often do they use them for timeshifting, especially of daytime soap operas? Are they
“zapping,” “zipping,” or “surfing” aficionados?
oWhy are households replacing their VCRs with DVRs and DVD players? How has the
Broadcasting—Changing Course
Terms: Third Network Investigation, Rupert Murdoch, Fox Network, Capital Cities Communications,
Laurence Tisch, CBS/Westinghouse, General Electric/RCA, The WB, UPN, Disney/ABC, PAX-TV,
CBS/Viacom, expanded AM band, concentration of ownership, digital TV (DTV), High Definition
Television (HDTV)
oWhy did all three broadcast networks change hands in the mid-1980s after three decades of stable
control?
oHow does Fox operate? How has it achieved parity with the three big networks? What role did
Rupert Murdoch play in Fox’s success? Use Exhibit 3.i to discuss Murdoch’s media empire. Why
did “The WB” and UPN merge to become the CW Network? What changes have occurred in
radio, both AM and FM, during the last two decades? Why has FM’s popularity grown and AM’s
Sorting It Out
Terms: merger mania, feeding frenzy, convergence, competition
oHave consumers had too much choice in the audio and video marketplace in the past decade? Is
the competitive situation confusing? How? How does content ownership give media companies a
PEARSON MYCOMMUNICATIONKIT RESOURCES
Each chapter of the MyCommKit for Head’s Broadcasting in America, 10th Edition includes chapter
learning objectives, practice quizzes, key terms flash card, and select media.
Media available for this chapter:
WATCH: News Feature: ABC’s Nightline: Trading Music Over the Internet (2004)
OUTSIDE AUDIO/VISUAL RESOURCES
The New Age of Digital Video Compression (VHS, 71 min., 1994)
Examines this new technology in detail using simple language, analogies, and detailed animated graphics.
Basic concepts such as bandwidth are covered, as well as numerous applications and future possibilities.
What Is Multimedia? (VHS, 20 min., 1993)
Multimedia brings together graphics, animation, audio, video, and text to create a new kind of experience.
This overview includes some of the latest developments in the field while showing the basic principles
Components of Multimedia (VHS, 29 min., 1995)
Investigates the creation of specific components of digital media including audio, video, graphics, and
animation. Data compression and sampling are discussed. Distributor: Insight Media.
The Multimedia Revolution—Today and Tomorrow (VHS, 29 min., 1995)
Reviews some of the best applications of multimedia technology today and looks at the delivery of
Frontline: High Stakes in Cyberspace (VHS, 60 min., 1995)
This program focuses on how computers affect advertising and American culture, and also explores
Understanding and Using the Internet (VHS, 120 min., 1995)
This two-hour program explains the history of the world’s largest computer network through the voices of
principals involved in developing the Internet. Interviews with groundbreaking figures make this
Cable TV and Beyond (VHS, 28 min., 1999)
This program details the history of this dynamic medium from its modest beginnings. In 1949, cable
meant television for locations that had very poor reception or were inaccessible to broadcast signals. By
the mid-1970s, cable service began to expand rapidly due to the easing of government restrictions and the
Media Convergence (VHS, 28 min., 1998)
This program examines the growing convergence of phones, TVs, and computers in cyberspace and the
Media Rights and Responsibilities (VHS, 28 min., 1998)
The media have established new outposts in the frontiers of taste that were thought impossible 25 years
ago, and all in the name of First Amendment rights and giving the public what it wants. What leverage
Mass Communication, Part 2: Toward a Global Village (VHS, 32 min., 1998)
With the advent of affordable television sets, the influence of the media on American life mushroomed,
The Cable TV Industry and Beyond (VHS, 30 min., 1997)
This video explores the evolution of cable and satellite television. It examines programming trends and
strategies and discusses business concerns in the new media environment. Distributor: Insight Media.
Mass Communication versus Mass Media (VHS, 99 min., 1996)
To Boldly Go: The Future of Communication (VHS, 22 min., 1997)
Interface: The Future of Technology (VHS, 28 min., 1997)
This video explores developing technologies that may dominate communications in the future. It