MCOM72 Week 7 Flashcards
Four stages of TV evolution in the US
- Birth of commercial broadcasting
- Network era
- Post-network era or cable tv
- Digital era
Paul Nipkow’s rudimentary TV camera (1880s)
connected electric sensors to a mechanical spinning disk with perforated holes
Cathode ray tube (1890s)
- Projected electronic signals onto a glass screen inside a vacuum tube
- TV station (transmission point), TV set (reception point)
In 2009, digital standard adopted
- High-definition broadcast images and sound quality
- Requires less spectrum space
Broadcast networks own and operate a limited number
of broadcast stations (O&Os, for owned and operated)
Broadcast networks deliver
programming lineups to affiliate
stations
Kinescope:
a film camera (16 mm) placed in
front of a TV monitor to capture a program as it aired
Between 1958 and the 1980s, TV industry
dominated by Big Three broadcast networks
NBC, CBS, and ABC
Early television programs followed single-
sponsorship model
Programs were developed, produced,
and supported by a single sponsor;
networks lacked creative control
In magazine-sponsorship model
networks manage program development and sell spots to various sponsors
Provide affiliates with programming to cover prime time
the critical evening hours when
viewing is highest
Anthology dramas:
artistically significant plays written for television, featuring different characters and settings each week
episodic series
a format in which the main characters remain the same from week to week
Chapter shows:
all story lines wrap up each week
Serial programs:
story lines continue across episodes
Cloning:
involves creating a new series by copying key features of an innovative and popular program
Spin-off:
when a character from a hit series becomes the lead in a new one
Franchise:
when producers leverage the name recognition of a popular show to
brand other series
Must-carry rules:
required cable operators to include all local
TV broadcasts on their systems
Access channels:
non broadcast channels dedicated to
local education, government, and the public
Media regulation
with policy such as the Fairness
Doctrine (1949) or the ‘Prime Time Access Rule’ (1970)
Electronic publishing:
cable operators able to choose which
channels to carry
CATV: community antenna television
- First cable system
- Originated where mountains or tall buildings blocked TV signals
- Two big advantages: eliminated over-the-air interference and
increased channel capacity
Cable franchise:
a mini-monopoly awarded by a city or
town, usually for a 15-year period
