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Overview of Media Evolution and Types

Radio has historically been mostly commercially funded with mass appeal. In the US, there were initially three national radio stations which grew to four by the 1940s, important for information and entertainment. Radio broadcasting expanded in the 1950s with car radios and in the 1960s with FM radio. There are now music, talk, and specialized stations identified by call signs beginning with K or W depending on location. Newspapers have existed since colonial times and were important during the American Revolution and 19th century developments. They are now mostly local and declining with many owned by conglomerates, facing competition from television and the internet. Television began in the late 1930s and grew rapidly, replacing cinema and shaping culture. There are now four major broadcasters

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Hannah Berr
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62 views4 pages

Overview of Media Evolution and Types

Radio has historically been mostly commercially funded with mass appeal. In the US, there were initially three national radio stations which grew to four by the 1940s, important for information and entertainment. Radio broadcasting expanded in the 1950s with car radios and in the 1960s with FM radio. There are now music, talk, and specialized stations identified by call signs beginning with K or W depending on location. Newspapers have existed since colonial times and were important during the American Revolution and 19th century developments. They are now mostly local and declining with many owned by conglomerates, facing competition from television and the internet. Television began in the late 1930s and grew rapidly, replacing cinema and shaping culture. There are now four major broadcasters

Uploaded by

Hannah Berr
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Handout for the Oral State Exam

Examiner: Uwe Hausmann


Examinee: Hannah Berr
18.11.2014

The Media
Radio:
General Remarks:
-

mass medium
even historically mostly commercially funded

History:
-

1920s: three national radio stations (CBS, NBC)


1940s: four national radio stations (CBS, NBC, ABC)
importance besides entertainment: information about the nation/ the ongoing
war (Fireside Chats Franklin D. Roosevelt)
1950s: boost through the popularity of car radios
1960s: rise of the FM radio
disc jockey
1990s: one more major broadcasting company (Premiere)

Types of Radio Stations:


-

music stations
o Top 40
o Adult Contemporary
o Oldies
o Country
o Rock
.
.
.
specialized stations!

talk stations
o conservative
o religious
o sports

Call Signs:
-

normal station names cannot all be unique


ITU call signs (legal purposes)
K = west of the Mississippi
W= east of the Mississippi
Mostly four letters (three are historical)

Newspapers:
General Remarks:
-

mostly local newspapers


exceptions: USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal... (major
newspapers)
on a decline (circulation, number of newspapers)
daily or weekly published

History:
-

existent since colonial times


Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania Gazette)
Revolution: Massachusetts Spy (Patriotic Press)
19th century: penny press, specialty media (e.g. Abolitionist papers), impact of
the telegraph
turn of the century: yellow press, muckrakers

Persons of Importance:
-

Horace Greeley (editor New York Tribune)


Henry Raymond (editor New York Times)
William Randolph Hearst (publisher)
Joseph Pulitzer (publisher)

Current State:
-

majority owned by conglomerates (Hearst)


in decline (50% since 1970)
problem: TV and internet as competition

Television:
General Remarks:
-

four major broadcasters: CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox


decentralized, market-oriented system
national public TV station: PBS
reflects cultural values within a society

History:
-

first demonstrated in 1939


Early days:
o 60% sports
o 4th company: DuMont
o glorified radio
cheap production (3-4 actors, 1 set, 1 camera)
1948: Paramount Agreement
TV replaces the cinema
TV shapes culture (e.g. Davy Crockett, RocknRoll)
TV changes politics (JFK)
1970s: social consciousness
1980s: Fox, MTV

Genres:
-

sitcoms
from the perfect family (1950s) to circle of friends
soap opera
reality TV
talk shows (daytime)
game shows
dramas
animation
newer genres:
o mockumentary
o dramedies
o reality soaps

Cable TV:
-

basic, premium, a la carte


stations: HBO, Showtime, Cinemax...
limited childrens access
more violence, nudity.....(e.g. Sex and the City, Game of Thrones, Dexter)

Satellite TV:
-

two providers: Dish Network, DirecTV

Current State:
-

more specialized stations (Cartoon Network, The Biography Channel....)


On Demand programs (iTunes, Netflix...)
DVRs, TiVo
HDTV
Merging with internet
TV becomes more interactive
anything, anytime, anywhere

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