Chap 1
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Careers
▪ There are numerous careers in electronic media
▪ Industry familiarity & knowledge of changes
▪ improves careers success
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Understanding
 Knowing media tools & impact helps
▪ Understand how the media influences
▪ Individual behaviors, views, opinions
▪ Society
▪ Teach most effective method of interacting with media
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Changes over the years
 Radio & TV – 1st two broadcasting mediums
▪ Local Radio & Major 3 networks dominated early broadcasts
 1960’s-70’s brought
▪ Commercial vs public broadcasting
▪ CATV, VCR’s, Satellite, Low Power TV (1982)
▪ Industrial TV – Used by companies for training
 Later (Corporate Video/Organizational TV)
▪ Narrowcasting
▪ When TV programming targeted specific audiences
 What is an example of a TV station/channel that does this
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1980’s
 Brought more variety to TV delivery systems
▪ Videotape, Video Stores, Cable, Satellite, Remotes
 Reduced the control of the Big 3 Networks
▪ On determining what consumers were watching
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1990’s
 Growth of information access through
▪ Cell phones, Internet (via Dial up), E-mail
 Information once provided by Radio/TV available online
▪ Webcasting, browsers, ISP’s, search engines, blogging
▪ Began developing at faster rates
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2000’s
 Internet explodes as source of information
▪ High speed access, faster computers, bigger hard drives
▪ Allow vast amounts of information to be stored & retrieved
 DVR’s replace VCR’s allowing time shifting of TV programs
 Other new technology being embraced by consumers
▪ Satellite radio, HD Radio, HDTV, Blue Ray DVD,
▪ Digital Movie theaters, Podcasting, MP3 Players, PDA’s (Smartphones)
▪ Texting, Social networking
▪ What’s Next?
▪ Are there any even newer innovations you can think of?
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How many different types of media are in your home?
 Do you use all of them or only some?
 Are they all used by someone?
 Are they all needed?
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Media ownership has shifted recently (pg 7)
▪ Landlines which were once at 100% have dropped
▪ Cell phones have become the only phone for many
▪ Internet access almost non-existent prior to the 90’s
▪ Is almost a universal service
▪ Cable TV subscribers have dropped
▪ What are some causes for this?
▪ Does anyone in here have a VCR in your home?
▪ Is it used?
 DVD’s are now preferred due to higher quality
 Video game console & DVR ownership is also growing
▪ Why do you think there has been an increase in DVR’s
 The most stable media devices
▪ Television & Radio
▪ Both are at almost 100%
▪ Average home has 6 radios & 2.4 TV sets
▪ How does your home compare
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People spend a great deal of time with media
▪ Media devices are used & they are also used
▪ Interaction with media is significant part of life
 Interesting Trends
▪ Increased use of internet has not reduce TV watching
▪ Heavy internet users claim TV watching has increased
▪ TV watching
▪ Has shifted from broadcast TV more to cable TV
▪ Has become complicated
 Would a show made for the internet be considered watching TV?
 Media Link
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Watching a Netflix video, streamed through a
video game console, watched through a
television
 What would that be?
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Video games have grown tremendously
 Often earning more than domestic movies
▪ Grand Theft Auto IV - $500 million in 1st week
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Internet usage has shifted over the years
 There are several current categories
▪ Today the top use of internet is Content
▪ Followed by Communication
▪ Next is community (Category added in 2008)
▪ For social networking sites
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Traditional functions include
▪ Entertain, Inform, Persuade
 Functions have expanded as media have expanded
▪ Presenting Entertainment
▪ Disseminating news & information
▪ Aiding Commerce
▪ Transmitting Culture & Customs
▪ Acting as A watchdog
▪ Providing relaxation & companionship
▪ Connecting people to each other
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Presenting Entertainment
 The main function of many forms of electronic media
▪ Movies, Video Games, Majority of TV programs
▪ Internet has increased entertainment element
▪ Due to Audio/Video elements
▪ Why is entertainment a big part of electronic media?
▪ Increases in technology has transformed entertainment
▪ From passive only to incorporating interactive elements
 Some are dissatisfied with the entertainment function
▪ Politicians, citizens groups, parents, etv
▪ Complain that there is too much sex & violence on TV
▪ Some feel that the imitation of ideas (especially reality)
▪ Has led to poor quality programming on TV
 Despite the changes and sometimes poor decisions on
the part of content developers
▪ Entertainment will no doubt continue to serve as the main
function of electronic media
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Disseminating news & information
 Electronic media provides immediate updates
▪ For disasters, breaking news, current events
▪ When have you turned to electronic media for more
information (disasters/breaking news)
 Especially radio
▪ Because it is portable and relies less on electricity
▪ (battery powered radios)
▪ During disasters (tornados, hurricanes) other media often fail
▪ (What is changing this)
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Disseminating news & information
 Information is also useful at other times
▪ What information do you regularly get from the media
▪ What are your sources of news?
 Everyone's interests are different
▪ What is something that you learned more about by seeking
out info online or on TV
 Personalizing news
▪ Yahoo, google news,
 What are some problems with
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Aiding Commerce
 Persuasion
▪ Who has bought something based only on advertising?
 What made you buy it?
▪ What made the commercial/ad appealing?
 Humor, Visual effects
▪ Commercials today are not as much of a hard sell
▪ Memorable gimmicks with brief reference to product are used more
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Aiding Commerce
 Tailoring
▪ Commercials may differ based on
geographic region
▪ Same show different commercials
 Aired to appeal to specific audiences
▪ Google ads
▪ Show similar products in the side bar based on
keyword searches
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Aiding Commerce
 Shopping
▪ Has been revolutionized through electronic media
▪ Who has bought something online
▪ What type of product/service, where was it bought
 Advertising has become a nuisance to people
▪ Many with DVR’s skip through them
▪ Others ignore them or flip channels
▪ How have advertisers adjusted to remain visible
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Transmitting Culture & Customs
▪ Think of some shows that portray a culture/lifestyle
▪ Do these shows influence perceptions of that group/culture
▪ Unintentional
▪ When the content broadcast associates with a group regardless of
motives behind the production
▪ Intentional
▪ When the content purposely reflects a particular group or culture
 Foreign language, religious, public service programming
▪ Criticisms
▪ Media often are the catalyst of stereotypes
 Many stereotypes, ethnic/cultural are magnified through the media
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Acting as a watchdog
 Watching over aspects of society
 (especially government)
▪ This role is often reserved for journalists
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Watching & reporting political candidates
Reviewing new laws that affect many
Informing the public about scandal and fraud
Informing public about of information that is hard to find
▪ Some media provide a window for us to view (CSPAN)
 Some interpret information for the public
 Can lead to bias &/or slanted information
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Providing relaxation & companionship
▪ The television can be your friend
▪ People who live alone
▪ The internet/radio
▪ Can provide entertainment or relaxing sounds
▪ The media can provide a getaway
▪ After a hard day it can provide relief from the rigor of daily life
▪ Can also become problematic if it becomes addicting
 Web Link
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Connecting people to each other
▪ How many of you have ever watched a new show or movie
 And talked with your friends about it later?
▪ A movie comes out that you never heard of
 What would convince you to check it out
▪ “Water-Cooler” Function
▪ When people talk in groups about a show they all watched or heard
recently
▪ Today’s media is more fragmented (less people watch the same shows)
▪ E-mail, texting, social media, internet searches
▪ These are all methods people use to stay connected
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People (The consumers)
▪ Are in more control of the media than in the past.
▪ Gatekeepers heavily influenced content in the past
▪ Network executives, News producers, Radio music directors, etc
▪ Their power has diminished
 Due to time shifting devices
 From Increased sources of media
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How many of you have ever posted a video
User-Generated Content
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User generated content
 The internet has allowed for the explosion of user
generated content for people to browse
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Videos & Short films
Online radio stations
Multimedia Websites
Public access channels
▪ (Through Cable TV providers)
 Convergence
▪ Bringing together various media forms & facilities
 Proliferation
▪ Distributing media content to many places through many
platforms
 Resilience
▪ The ability of various forms of electronic media to adapt and
continue to exist
 Convergence
▪ 1 – Blending of multiple forms of media to create new ones
▪ Radio over the internet
▪ 2 – Blending of facilities
▪ Cable & Phone companies offering the same thing
 Proliferation
▪ Reaching consumers through innovative ways
▪ What is one of the strangest or odd places you have seen an
advertisement?
 Resilience
▪ The fast paced media industry is constantly changing
▪ Old media have to change or adapt to remain valid
 The significance of electronic media will continue to increase
 People will use it now more than anytime in the past
 The criticisms on media content will continue
 Some of the equipment that connects people also disconnects them
▪ Computers keep people connected online
▪ But away from their families
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With the media changing at such a rapid pace
 Only time will tell what the next mediated innovation is