18030s – birth of the mass media system as we know it today
1945 – supreme court justice hugo black claims that a free press is a condition of a free society
1950s – television displaces radio
1967 – Richard dawkins introduces the term “meme”
1982 – 60% of journalists say they had complete freedom to choose their stories, as opposed to 34% 25
years later after explosion of concentration and conglomeration
1966 – DVD introduced
2004 – facebook debuts
2012 – facebook buys Instagram
2014 – apple buys beats music; youtube buys twitch
2015 – actavision buys game company king digital entertainment; at&t buys directTV
2016 – pepe the frog becomes a hate symbol due to meme portrayals news deserts proliferate
2017 – the eclipse megamovie project
2018 – state of new jersey funds local journalism; Sirius XM buys pandora
Although Americans spend over $11 billion a year at the movies, they continue to buy fewer
tickets per person every year than they did in the past (Edelstein, 2018). Only 13% of Americans go to
the movies once a month or more (“How Frequently,” 2018). Page 33
From 2016 to 2018 sales of physical music albums (CDs and vinyl) fell 9%; digital album sales fell
8%; and individual digital soundtracks also dipped 8% (Richter, 2018b).
Fifteen years ago, the four major broadcast networks commanded 61% of all television viewing.
Today their share hovers around 30%. The top-rated program in 1980 was , viewed in more Dallas
than 34% of all homes with a television. In 1990 it was , watched by 21% of all TV homes. Cheers
Today a top-rated show, such as America’s Got Talent, will draw about 7%.
From 2016 to 2017, spending on DVDs and Blu-ray discs fell 14%, rentals from kiosks fell 7%, and
rentals from brick-and-mortar stores fell 20% (Richter, 2018a).
Daily circulation for American print newspapers fell 11% from 2016 to 2017, and advertising
revenue dropped 10% (Barthel, 2018).
The U.S. magazine industry saw a 5% drop in circulation from 2016 to 2017 (Stuart-Turner, 2018).
The number of radio listeners grew only 1% from 2016 to 2017; time spent listening to radio
declined 1% in that time (Pollack, 2018).
Media multitasking – simultaneously consuming many different kinds of media
Electronic sell-through (EST) – buying of digital download movies
Platform agnostic – having no preference where media content is accessed
Convergence – the erosion of traditional distinctions among media
Concentration of ownership – ownership of different and numerous media companies concentrated in
fewer and fewer hands
Economies of scale – concept that relative cost declines as the size of the endeavor grows
Oligopoly – a media system whose operation is dominated by a few large companies
Globalization -ownership of media companies by multinational corporations
Audience fragmentation – audience for specific media content becoming smaller and increasingly
homogeneous
Narrowcasting – aiming broadcast programming at smaller, more demographically homogeneous
audiences
Niche marketing – aiming media content or consumer products at smaller, more demographically
homogeneous audiences
Targeting – aiming media content or consumer products at smaller, more specific audiences
Zonecasting – technology allowing radio stations to deliver different commercials to specific
neighborhoods
Location-based mobile advertising – technology allowing marketers to send targeted ads to people
where they are in the moment
Addressable technologies – technology permitting the transmission of very specific content to equally
specific audience members
Taste publics – groups of people or audiences bound by little more than their interest in a given form of
media content
Hypercommercialism – increasing the amount of advertising and mixing commercial and noncommercial
media content
Product placement – the integration, for a fee, of specific branded products into media content
Brand entertainment – when commercials are part of and essential to a piece of media content
Payola – payment made by recording companies to DJs to air their records
Webisode – web-only television show
Wi-fi – wireless internet
Synergy – the use by media conglomerates of as many channels of delivery as possible for similar
content
Blogs – regularly updated online journal
Cost of entry – amount of money necessary to begin media content production
RSS (really simple syndication) – aggregators following web users to create their own content assembled
from the internet’s limitless supply of material
Appointment consumption – audiences consume content at a time predetermined by the producer and
distributor
Consumption on demand – the ability to access any content, anytime, anywhere
Meme – an online idea or image that is repeatedly copied, manipulated and shared
Day-to-date release – simultaneously releasing a moving to the public in some combination of theater,
cable, DVD, and download
Conglomeration – the increase of ownership of media outlets by nonmedia companies
News desert – communities starved for news vital to their existences due to lack of journalistic resources
Community information district (CiD) – special service district paid for by taxes or annual fees assessed in
a geographic area to support local journalism
To what does the term "day-and-date release" refer?
releasing a movie in a combination of theater, DVD, download, or video-on-
demand simultaneously
Why are media industries in turmoil?
Advances in technology have provided many new ways to deliver content to
specific audiences.
True or false: New technologies that have changed the way we interact with
mass media have caused a great deal of turmoil for the established media
industries.
True
Software for mobile digital devices is known as
an app.
Home television is an example of a media
platform.
True or false: The "day-and-date release" experiment has been largely
unsuccessful, as it makes it seem like the producers already know the
program will fail.
False
Which of the following statements regarding U.S. box office revenue in the
twenty-first century are true?
Box office revenue is generated by fewer tickets per person each year.
Box office revenue reaches over $11 billion per year.
Which of the following have enabled 21st-century media producers to find
new ways to deliver content to new audiences?
the Internet
digitization
Which of the following factors have forced media companies to change the
way they do business?
rapid change in technology
change in consumption behavior
True or false: CD music sales are the one area in which an established media
industry has unquestionably thrived in the face of rapid technological
change.
False
Annika canceled her subscription to the paper version of her newspaper but
plans to continue reading it on her cell phone. Which of the following actions
would Annika take in order to do this?
download an app for the newspaper
In the past fifteen years, the share of all television viewing commanded by
the four major television broadcast networks has
declined significantly.
The means of delivering a specific piece of media content is called a(n)
platform.
Which of the following is true of DVD sales in 2014–2015?
DVD sales continued to decline.
Which statement is true of recent movie attendance in the United States?
Only 13% of Americans go to the movies once a month or more.
Which of the following statements about music CD sales in recent years are
accurate?
The number of music CDs sold fell between 2016 and 2018.
The dollar value of music CD sales dropped between 2014 and 2015.
Today's top-rated TV show draws how many television viewers compared
to the top-rated program in 1990?Cheers,
fewer
Which of the following statements about DVD sales in recent years are
accurate?
DVD sales have decreased.
Rentals from DVD kiosks have fallen.
From 2015 to 2016, U.S. magazine industry revenue
declined.
From 2016 to 2017, the amount of time spent listening to radio
decreased 1%.
As the characteristics of media consumption have changed, media industries
are adjusting to be able to cater to an audience that is
fragmented into a great number of niches.
Which of the following statements regarding the U.S. newspaper industry
from 2016 to 2017 is accurate?
Daily circulation of print newspapers declined.
Which of the following would be considered media multitasking?
Erica watches TV, her computer, and handheld devices simultaneously.
Joe texts on his cell phone while he watches a video on his tablet.
The major challenge facing media industries today is that of
capturing a mass audience that has become fragmented.
Which of the following terms refers to the purchase of downloadable digital
movies?
electronic sell-through
Which of the following is a way in which the concentration of media
ownership and conglomeration will affect media industries' relationships with
audiences?
Media industries are likely to offer less variety.
Consuming several different types of media at the same time is called media
multitasking.
The erosion of traditional distinguishing characteristics of specific types of
media is called
convergence.
How has concentration of ownership of media companies impacted the
information that is available to consumers?
Media mergers have limited the range of information available to consumers.
Which of the following are associated with the increase in electronic sell-
through (EST)?
Americans are using the Internet more often and watching more videos than
ever before.
DVD sales and rentals have declined.
Which of the following challenges are media companies likely to face as a
result of conglomeration and concentration of media ownership?
Media companies will need to rethink ways of customizing content to retain
their audiences.
Media companies will have a more difficult time reaching increasingly
fragmented audiences.
True or false: New technologies have dramatically blurred the distinctions
among various types of media.
True
According to New York University law professor Burt Neuborne,
conglomeration has led to sensationalism in the press for which of the
following reasons?
The press is no longer controlled by persons feeling a zealous responsibility
to the First Amendment.
The press is now subject to a market psychology.
From 2016 to 2017, the number of radio listeners
increased only 1%.
In what ways is the concentration of ownership of media companies a
disaster for democracy, according to Senator Bernie Sanders?
Owners do not feel bound to the idea of providing diverse opinions on an
issue.
The function of media companies that control the news has become to make
as much money as they possibly can.
Major media conglomerates are not focused on educating the American
people.
Which of the following statements regarding the ownership of media
companies is accurate?
A small number of large conglomerates own most media outlets.
When Dan Rather stated that "The larger the entities that own and control
the news operations, the more distant they become," he was alluding to the
idea that
conglomeration has made news outlets more responsible to the profit motive
than to news reporting.
Concentration of media ownership has contributed to the emergence of s,
which
are communities starved for vital news due to a lack of journalistic resources.
result in severely limited access to local political news.
result in voters who are less politically engaged.
According to Senator Bernie Sanders, what is the threat of major media
conglomerates controlling the distribution of information?
Conglomerates will seek to make as much money as possible rather than
accurately informing the American people.
Which of the following statements about large, media-owning corporations
are accurate?
They may run businesses other than the media companies they own.
They tend to be dominated by a bottom-line mentality in which the profit
incentive rules.
Which of the following statements about changes in press coverage of
government is accurate?
The number of full-time statehouse newspaper journalists has declined
considerably since 2003.
The ownership of media outlets by larger, nonmedia companies is called
conglomeration.
Which of the following are benefits of concentration and conglomeration?
Large companies can reach a more widespread audience.
The resulting media companies face less financial instability.
Conglomeration can lead to the degradation of media content because of
the corporations' overriding concern with making a profit.
What impact does increasing the number of points of distribution have on the
quality of media programming?
More points of distribution increase revenues, which can be used to improve
programming.
What is an oligopoly?
a concentration of industries into an ever smaller number of companies
True or false: All 50 states have a daily newspaper reporter assigned to
Washington, DC, to cover Congress.
False - Only 21 of 50 states currently have a reporter from a daily newspaper
assigned to cover Congress in Washington, DC.
Which of the following is the reason that many telecommunications
professionals argue that concentration and conglomeration are necessary?
to maintain the financial strength of media companies and limit the influence
of advertisers
Which of the following are general concerns when large, multinational
conglomerates make the majority of media acquisitions?
Foreign corporations may try to influence media content to suit their own
purposes.
Local media industries and local cultures will be overwhelmed by the
programs of large, multinational conglomerates.
With an eye toward an expanding worldwide market, media companies may
tailor their content to the widest possible global audience.
The concept that bigger is better because the relative cost of an operation's
output declines as the size of the operation grows is called
monopolistic competition.
When the manager of newspaper chain 10/30 Communications said that
many companies had "wrongly divided their focus among many customer
groups," he was arguing that they had just one customer and their purpose
was to
sell that customer's products.
Which of the following statements about changes in press coverage of
government is accurate?
The number of full-time statehouse newspaper journalists has declined
considerably since 2003.
The ownership of media outlets by large, multinational conglomerates is an
example of
globalization.
How might media companies' efforts to expand into more markets worldwide
affect the fare they offer consumers here in the United States?
Story and character may suffer in favor of car chases and explosions, which
translate better to foreign audiences.
What is one potential benefit of globalization for media audiences?
Through the exchange of their different media, different cultures can learn
from one another.
Which of the following are arguments given by those who defend the idea
that globalization is necessary for the economic survival of media
companies?
Globalization is necessary for reaching a widespread, fragmented audience.
Media companies need to reach people in emerging democracies.
The world's economies are becoming increasingly intertwined.
Which of the following refers to the process by which the audience becomes
less of a mass audience and its individual segments become more narrowly
defined?
audience fragmentation
Media that cater to a targeted small audience whose members share an
important characteristic are practicing ______ marketing.
niche
Foreign countries have responded to the offerings of American media
conglomerates in which of the following ways?
They have placed restrictions on the amount and type of U.S. media content
allowed in their countries.
drawback for foreign country
Choice, Local media industries and local cultures are overwhelmed by high-
quality US media content.
Local media industries and local cultures are overwhelmed by high-quality
US media content.
drawback for media conglomerate - Foreign countries place limits on the
amount and type of programming allowed in their countries.
drawback for foreign country - Foreign countries place limits on the amount
and type of programming allowed in their countries.
According to defenders of increased globalization, what factor fuels both
globalization and media ownership concentration?
the need to reach a fragmented and widespread audience
Media consumers are becoming
more fragmented.
less of a mass audience.
Which of the following networks are examples of the effect of audience
fragmentation?
TV Land
Nickelodeon (the children's network)
Bravo
Which of the following publications is an example of the practice of
narrowcasting, or targeting?
Cooking Light
How might media companies' efforts to expand into more markets worldwide
affect the fare they offer consumers here in the United States?
Story and character may suffer in favor of car chases and explosions, which
translate better to foreign audiences.
Which of the following statements best describes how advertising has
changed since the advent of cable television?
Cable channels must appeal to more specific groups in order to attract
advertisers.
The technology used by radio stations to use different commercials
depending on the specific neighborhoods is called
zonecasting.
Technologies that allow the transmission of very specific content to very
specific users are called ______ technologies.
addressable
Groups of demographically targeted people who share an interest in a
specific form of media content are called
taste publics.
Which digital media feature facilitates the most positive result of audience
fragmentation for consumers and their communities?
interactivity
Samantha is in Atlanta for business. She is unfamiliar with her surroundings
and uses her cell phone's map app to try to locate a coffee shop. She
discovers several within walking distance, including one offering a coupon for
10% off. The coupon is an example of
location-based mobile advertising.
The increase in the number of advertising minutes in a typical broadcast is
an example of
hypercommercialism.
How do addressable technologies affect audience unity?
They make audiences increasingly fragmented.
The deliberate appearance of a Coca-Cola product on an episode
of is an example ofAmerican Idol
product placement.
Narrow, demographically targeted audiences may be in danger of
losing their ability to connect with members of other demographically
targeted audiences.
having narrower cultural experiences.
Which of the following are possible benefits of audience fragmentation?
Public discussions may promote community-building.
Audiences may be attracted to social networking sites where they can
discuss their feelings and ideas.
Digital media may allow for more numerous and more varied communities.
Which of the following explain the current state of hypercommercialism?
Media conglomerates need to find ways to pay for large media acquisitions.
Reaching fragmented audiences is more costly than reaching mass
audiences.
Technologies that allow the transmission of very specific content to very
specific users are called ______ technologies.
addressable
Integrating branded products into media content for a fee is called
product placement.
Groups of demographically targeted people who share an interest in a
specific form of media content are called
taste publics.
Which of the following are examples of ways in which companies employ
brand entertainment?
a newspaper publishing a science section sponsored by a power company
a television program featuring a product as an essential part of the show
The appearance of the Pontiac Solstice sports car as a "character" on the
television program is an example ofThe Apprentice
brand entertainment.
The once-illegal practice of radio stations accepting payment from record
promoters to play their songs is called
payola.
A Web-only television program is known as a(n)
webisode.
True or false: Television producers argue that brand entertainment is
different from product placement and that product placement is merely a
commercial.
False
A new form of content known as brand ______ involves making brands part of
and essential to a program.
entertainment
Which of the following are examples of hypercommercialism in television
programming?
purchasing rights to a segment of a talk show
paying for a character to mention a product during a program
Which of the following are ways that video-game consoles exemplify
convergence?
The consoles provide access the Internet.
The consoles offer original programming.
The consoles allow users to view online movies.
To accompany its hit series The Walking Dead, the cable network AMC
produces ______, a type of content that appears only on the Internet.
webisodes
Armando heads to his neighborhood café to read the newspaper on his tablet
and listen to streaming music on his headphones. Which of the following will
make this possible?
Wi-Fi
Which of the following are examples of ways in which companies employ
brand entertainment?
a television program featuring a product as an essential part of the show
a newspaper publishing a science section sponsored by a power company
Which of the following are examples of media convergence?
the simultaneous release of a music CD in stores, streaming for free on the
Internet, and available for temporary download through a music site
the launch of a film in theaters as well as on demand via a satellite television
provider, on the iPad, and streamed over the Internet
Which of the following best describes the impact Wi-Fi has had on
convergence?
Wi-Fi has made it possible for people to easily and conveniently access
digitized content any place, any time.
Which of the following have fueled media convergence?
continual advancement in technology
high-speed connectivity
the digitization of information
What has been the driving force behind recent mergers and acquisitions in
the media and telecommunications industries?
the desire to blend existing media with other forms
Persons who have no preference for how they access media content are
referred to as being platform
agnostic.
What is it about the concentration of media ownership that has contributed
to increasing media convergence?
A company with multiple channels of delivery has a strong incentive to
employ as many of them as possible to get the greatest use from its content.
Which of the following is the best definition of a blog?
an online journal
A media company's practice of making use of as many media channels of
delivery as possible is called
synergy.
Media convergence has occurred, in part, because of audience fragmentation
and the tendency of audiences to be
platform agnostic.
In what way can even users of social networking sites like Facebook now be
considered content producers?
Though some users simply connect with friends and family, many others
often post all variety of personally created content.
Which of the following are examples of how major media organizations have
reacted to user-produced content?
Traditional media outlets often make use of content sources that were
previously seen as amateurs.
Some media companies frequently air viewer-created videos.
Major print and online news organizations often make use of a large network
of unpaid contributors.
Which of the following are examples of consumers who are content
producers?
two friends making a digital video movie
an individual who publishes a blog
a musician releasing her music online
How have major media organizations reacted to user-produced content?
They have embraced it.
What factors have enabled consumers, the people formerly known as the
audience, to become content providers themselves?
the reduced cost of entry
technological change
What do experts see as potential consequences of convergence and low cost
of entry?
Different types of storytellers will be more likely to find audiences.
The cultural forum may become more conversational.
More content sources may counter the effects of concentration and
conglomeration.
The message in the mass communication model is typicallytraditional
inflexible and unalterable.
What is the function of an RSS aggregator?
to help users collect content related to their personal interests
Which of the following statements are true of RSS messages?
The messages can be altered in countless ways.
The messages are idiosyncratic.
The messages are unique to each user.
Which of the following is the strongest reason why many content consumers
have become content producers?
It costs little or nothing to produce content online.
According to the journalist William Greider, the challenges to the traditional
press posed by unlicensed "news" agents result in less authoritative but
more ______ content.
democratic
Which of the following describes characteristics of the way in which a
programming message is delivered in the traditional mass communication
process?
The results are finite, with a program either succeeding or failing.
The Breaking News app, which brings news on more than 90,000 topics to
people and news organizations alike, is an example of a(n)
RSS feed.
Which of the following has been proposed as a possible application of the
really simple syndication (RSS) model?
release different versions of the same movie to theaters
Which of the following is the type of consumption that is characteristic of
the mass communication process?traditional
appointment consumption
The consumption of content at a time predetermined by a producer and
distributor is called ______ consumption.
appointment
Which of the following are examples of consumption on demand?
re-watching an old television episode on the Internet
using a cell phone to access a Web video
downloading a song from an Internet music vendor
Which of the following are examples of types of feedback in the traditional
model of the mass communication process?
box office statistics for a film
a magazine's circulation
a television program's ratings
Which of the following makes it possible to perform real-time tracking of
individual patterns of consumption as well as to interact with consumers
directly and therefore tailor messages for those consumers?
the Internet
What are some potential downsides to the multiple avenues of feedback
made possible by digital media?
Potential employers can easily learn information about you that may be used
to deny you a job.
Identity thieves can gain access to personal information provided as part of
many feedback mechanisms.
What is the term for the ability to consume any content at any time and in
any place?
consumption on demand
What are the characteristics of feedback in the traditional model of the mass
communication process?
Feedback is delayed.
Feedback is inferential.
Feedback produces little more than basic information about the audience.
Why has the feedback process changed?
Digital media allow for real-time, instantaneous feedback.
Which of the following provide feedback to producers in today's mass
communication process?
content downloads
visits to specific websites
credit card purchases
