Mass Comm Test 2: Broadcast Television

Front 1

During the 1920-1930s, two American inventors helped lay the foundations for television in its early development: __________ and ___________.

Back 1

Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin

Front 2

Growth was so rapid by 1948 that the FCC imposed a freeze on new station licenses. The freeze lasted four years, and by 1952 the FCC established technical rules to minimize station interference and decided that _______ and _______ channels would be reserved for TV.

Back 2

12 VHF
70 UHF

Front 3

TV's early structure was modeled after _________.

Back 3

radio

Front 4

Local stations provided service to their __________ and, in turn, might be affiliated with networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, DuMont).

Back 4

communities

Front 5

In 1956 the ___________ developed videotape, and by 1960, most programs had switched to tape.

Back 5

Ampex Company

Front 6

Why didn't UHF channels do well?

Back 6

Because TV sets made in the 50s did not incorporate UHF receivers and UHF stations had smaller coverage areas than VHF stations did.

Front 7

The growth and experimentation period of the 1950s became known as TV's _____________.

Back 7

golden age

Front 8

. TV later introduced a new genre: ____________

Back 8

the adult western

Front 9

By 1960 TV sets were in more than ____ percent of all American homes.

Back 9

95

Front 10

Congress passed the_______________________ which set up the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Back 10

Public Broadcasting Act of 1967

Front 11

Public concern over TV content grew dramatically during the 1970s, highlighted by a Surgeon General’s Office study that investigated the impact of exposure to TV; the panel found a modest connection between heavy TV viewing and ______________________.

Back 11

violence among some children

Front 12

The 1970s also marked the first time that citizen groups, ______________ and _______________, became influential in shaping broadcasting policy.

Back 12

Action for Children’s Television and coalitions of minority groups

Front 13

Though the three networks dominated TV, the 1970s also saw the emerging __________ compete with the networks.

Back 13

cable TV industry

Front 14

Name the effects of the VCR.

Back 14

cassette movie rentals became a multibillion-dollar business, vital to the motion
picture studios

the VCR encouraged time shifting (taping a program for later viewing).

Front 15

However, the
ability to bypass commercials when viewing taped content created new problems for
advertisers. Name and describe them.

Back 15

1. zapping commercials (VCRs that automatically ignore ads when taping programs)
2. zipping by commercials (fast forward through unwanted program parts, usually ads)
3. grazing by using a remote control to scan channels during program down time (ads)

Front 16

_____________ is a new class of TV stations, with a small service area. There was huge initial interest, but most are marginal operations at best.

Back 16

Low-power television (LPTV)

Front 17

The 1990s also saw _______________________ make serious inroads, when DirecTV and United States Satellite Broadcasting (USSB), offered subscribers some 150 channels over 18-inch diameter receivers.

Back 17

direct broadcast by satellite (DBS)

Front 18

_______________ also introduced a TV program rating system and the ________. The Act also encouraged competition between cable and phone companies, and eased ownership restrictions on TV stations.

Back 18

The Telecommunications Act of 1996; V-chip

Front 19

Name the Big Four broadcast networks.

Back 19

ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX

Front 20

______________ has many advantages, including clearer pictures, better sound, and a more rectangular (rather than square-ish) format.

Back 20

Digital television (DTV)

Front 21

DTV makes possible ________________ which has about five times the clarity of standard TV.

Back 21

high definition television (HDTV

Front 22

The big networks use broadband to offer ______________ that wouldn’t be successful on their broadcast channels.

Back 22

special-interest content

Front 23

A company called ________ works with cell phone companies to provide subscribers with content from broadcast and cable networks.

Back 23

MobiTV

Front 24

Like radio, TV is a universal medium, installed in about ________ of all US homes. It is turned on about ______ hours a day.

Back 24

99; 8

Front 25

TV’s audience also continues to _________, with audiences increasingly attracted to specialized or niche channels and cable networks.

Back 25

fragment

Front 26

Stations in a _____________ system earn revenues based on advertising; stations in a ___________ systems get their income from a variety of sources.

Back 26

commercial television; noncommercial

Front 27

TV stations are licensed by the FCC to provide services to a particular community, called a __________.

Back 27

market

Front 28

There are 210 markets in the U.S. Name the six commercial networks that supply programs to local stations.

Back 28

1. ABC, the American Broadcasting Company
2. CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System
3. NBC, the National Broadcasting System
4. FBC, the Fox Broadcasting System
5. The CW, Warner Broadcasting Network
6. MyNetwork TV

Front 29

__________ serves the non-commercial television system.

Back 29

Public Broadcasting System (PBS)

Front 30

When a local station signs a contract to be part of a network, the station becomes an _________ of that network.

Back 30

affiliate

Front 31

Local stations that do not have any affiliation are called ______________.

Back 31

independents

Front 32

Like the film industry, television is divided into three segments, ___________, _________, and ____________.

Back 32

production, distribution, and exhibition.

Front 33

Name and describe the three sources stations can get programming from.

Back 33

1.local production: programs produced by the local station itself; local news is typically
a big revenue source for local stations; other forms of local productions include local
sporting events, interview shows, and public-affairs discussion programs
2. network programs (available only to affiliates): networks supply 65-70 percent of the
programming carried by affiliates; many of these programs are produced by the networks
themselves, with others produced by independent production companies or TV divisions of major motion picture studios
3. syndicated programming: created by independent producers for sale to local stations,including such programs as Wheel of Fortune, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Inside Edition. Shows that have already aired on networks (off-net series) are also distributed by syndication companies, as are packages of movies.

Front 34

The three major distribution outlets are: _________, ________, and ___________.

Back 34

broadcast networks, cable networks, and syndication companies

Front 35

In simplified terms, a network-affiliate contract says that a local station agrees to carry the network’s programs, and in return _________________________.

Back 35

the network agrees to pay the station a certain amount of money for clearing its time so that the network’s programs can air.

Front 36

The amount of money a network must pay is partially determined by ____________.

Back 36

market size

Front 37

Networks are likely to _____________ the amount of compensation paid to affiliates, or eliminate compensation entirely.

Back 37

decrease

Front 38

Syndication companies _________________ (from themselves or from other independents) to individual stations in local markets.

Back 38

lease taped or filmed content

Front 39

Stations that buy a syndicated program receive _____________ to show that program in their market area.

Back 39

exclusive rights

Front 40

Usually a syndicator wants at least ____ episodes of a series before sending it back out to the market.

Back 40

100

Front 41

Some stations broadcast in the _____________ range, using channels 2-13, while others occupy the less powerful—and historically less desirable—___________ channels 14-69.

Back 41

VHF (very high frequency)
UHF (ultra high frequency)

Front 42

Most local stations are ______________.

Back 42

network affiliates

Front 43

NBC is owned by __________.
ABC is owned by __________.
CBS is owned by __________.
Fox is owned by ___________.
CW is a joint venture between _________ & ___________.
MyNetwork TV is owned by ___________.

Back 43

General Electric
Walt Disney Company
part of CBS Corporation
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation
CBS Corporation and Time Warner
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation

Front 44

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 allows an organization to own as many stations as it wishes, provided that their combined reach does not exceed ___ percent of the US population (later amended to ____ percent ).

Back 44

35; 39

Front 45

Name and describe one common arrangement for television.
the ___________ is ultimately responsible for all station activities
the __________ sells time to local and national advertisers
the ___________ handles technical equipment
the _______________ puts together the local programming and procures programming from outside sources
the __________ handles the regularly scheduled news programs
the ____________ handles clerical, accounting, and personnel to help in the
day-to-day running of the station

Back 45

station manager
sales department
engineering department
production/programming department
news division
administration department

Front 46

Network organization is somewhat similar to that of a local station:
the _______ division handles the sale of network commercials and works with ad agencies
the ___________ division works with producers to develop new programming
the _____________ division handles stations owned by the network itself
the __________ division supervises contracts and maintains good relations with
affiliates
the ________ division is responsible for network news and public-affairs programming
the _________ division is responsible for all sports programming
the ________ division checks network programs to insure they don’t violate the law or the network’s own guidelines for appropriate content
the ________ division handles technical aspects of actually sending programs to affiliates

Back 46

Sales
Entertainment
Owned and Operated stations
Affiliate Relations
News
Sports
Standards
Operations

Front 47

On the local level, the biggest efforts go into the ___________.

Back 47

newscast

Front 48

On the network level, the greatest efforts go into ________ programming (____ p.m., EST).

Back 48

prime; 8-11

Front 49

If the idea still looks promising a ________ (a program’s first episode) is then produced.

Back 49

pilot

Front 50

In a typical year a single network will produce about ___ pilots.

Back 50

25

Front 51

The TV industry has been profitable since 1950, and ad revenues have increased every year since ______.

Back 51

1971

Front 52

Name and describe the three different types of advertisers that buy time on tv.
__________ (36 percent of revenues) sell general-consumption items such as soda, cars, soaps, and so on.
___________ (about 32 percent of revenues) sell products of regional interest
(snow equipment, pools, farm implements, and so on).
___________ (about 32 percent of revenues) are local businesses buying airtime to
reach people in their immediate area.

Back 52

National advertisers
National spot advertisers
Local advertisers

Front 53

The bigger a station’s _________ (program rating) and __________, the more advertisers pay for the airtime.

Back 53

audience, market

Front 54

At the network level, ___________ is the biggest expense.

Back 54

programming

Front 55

______ and ________ are much cheaper to produce

Back 55

Quiz; reality shows

Front 56

Throughout its 30-year history, and despite a major reorganization by the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act, public television has faced several perennial problems such as ___________, ____________, and ____________.

Back 56

inadequate funding
political infighting
a lack of clear purpose

Front 57

Before 1967, noncommercial TV was known as ______________.

Back 57

educational television

Front 58

The __________ authorized money for new facilities and established the _____________to oversee noncommercial TV and to distribute funds for programs.

Back 58

1967 Public Broadcasting Act
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

Front 59

The government also created the ____________, whose duties resemble those of commercial networks.

Back 59

Public Broadcasting System (PBS),

Front 60

Cable, surprisingly, was helpful to public TV stations by ___________ ; public TV became the primary cultural channel in the nation.

Back 60

increasing the reach of their programming

Front 61

By the 1990s, _________ had become a major political issue, and stations looked for other funding sources.

Back 61

PBS funding

Front 62

PBS stations are licensed by the ________.

Back 62

FCC

Front 63

VCRs are also used to _____________.

Back 63

time shift

Front 64

A new entry into the home video market is the _____________________.

Back 64

DVR, the digital video recorder (such as TiVo).

Front 65

Home video functions can be divided into three segments: __________, _____________ and ____________.

Back 65

production, distribution, and retail.

Front 66

Nielsen Media Research, which serves both Canada and the U.S., provides networks with audience data through its ________________.

Back 66

Nielsen Television Index (NTI).

Front 67

To compile the ratings, Nielsen uses a device called a ____________,a clock-radio size device that sits atop the TV.

Back 67

People Meter

Front 68

There are about ______ People Meters used in gathering sample data, ____ percent of which is normally useable.

Back 68

5,000; 90

Front 69

Nielsen is testing other systems, such as the _______________, which requires little effort on the part of the respondent.

Back 69

Portable People Meter (PPM)

Front 70

Nielsen surveys more than 200 U.S. markets at least _____ times a year by using a combination diary and electronic metering technique.

Back 70

four

Front 71

__________ (one issued for each TV set) have space to record demographic data about each household member as well as their viewing habits for each quarter hour.

Back 71

Diaries; They are kept for seven days.

Front 72

TV viewing data is reported in essentially the same way it is for radio: ________ and ________.

Back 72

ratings, shares

Front 73

Rating=____________
Share of the audience= __________________

Back 73

# of households watching a program divided by # of TV Households

# of households watching a program divided by # of HUT

Front 74

Total # of TV households=_______________

HUT=___________________

Back 74

the number of households with TV in a given market

number of households using (watching) TV at a particular time

Front 75

Four times a year (February, May, July, and November), Nielsen conducts a __________ in which every local TV market in the country is measured.

Back 75

sweep period; Local stations use these ratings to set their ad rates.

Front 76

In response to Congressional concerns about the accuracy and integrity of the TV rating system, the television industry established the _________________,subsequently renamed the _____ , to monitor, audit, and accredit broadcast rating services.

Back 76

Electronic Media Ratings Council (EMRC)
MRC

Front 77

One common criticism of MRC is with the sample size of _______.

Back 77

5,000

Front 78

Networks test audience reactions to programming in three ways. Using __________, the networks ask some 100,000 people per year about their tastes, opinions, and beliefs, in an attempt to identify acceptable program situations or topics. In ____________, , networks give selected viewers a few paragraphs about an idea for a new series and then ask for their reactions. The third form, ___________, consists of placing a group of viewers in a special theater and showing them an entire program. The audience then evaluates the program.

Back 78

questionnaires
concept testing
pilot testing

Front 79

TV sets are in ___ percent of all homes; __ percent of households have more than one set

Back 79

99; 75

Front 80

Average set is on for about ____ hours a day, with each individual watching more than ____ hours.

Back 80

8; 3

Front 81

Viewing is heaviest during the _____, lightest during ___________.

Back 81

winter; July & August

Front 82

__________ dominate daytime weekday TV audiences, ____________ rules Saturday mornings, and __________ category dominates prime time.

Back 82

preschoolers and women
13 and under crowd
18-49

Front 83

__________ tend to watch more TV than _____________.

Back 83

Low-income household; middle-income households

Front 84

__________ watch the least amount of tv.

Back 84

Teenagers

Front 85

People with more _________ tend to watch less TV, and ________ watch more tv than men.

Back 85

education; women

Front 86

Audience changes throughout the day, increasing steadily from _____ until it peaks during _______.

Back 86

7 a.m.; prime time hours