Chapter 9 - Television: Broadcast and Beyond
Future of Television
Video-on-demand (60% of subscribers have access) Interacting with programming Convergence of television and Internet Changing definition of "television" Moving from broadcast/cable/satellite to "cord cutting"
Media Transformations: What is Television?
What does watching television mean to you? How do you watch video programming? What type of services do you use? What kinds of devices do you use? What do you pay to access your video programming?
Spanish-Language Broadcasting
Univision is fifth largest broadcast network; often top rated in urban area Spanish-language telenovelas popular, produced in Mexico, Brazil (Brazilian shows translates from Portuguese to Spanish)
High-definition television (HDTV)
A standard for high-quality digital broadcasting that features a high-resolution picture, wide-screen format, and enhanced sound
Beginning of Broadcast Television
1939: NBC starts broadcasting, most sets in bars, restaurants 1942: TV manufacturing suspended for duration of WWII; most stations go off the air Licensing of new TV stations suspended 1948-1952, leaving many cities without television
Color Television
1950s: Early experiments in color television 1965: Big Three networks broadcasting in color NBC peacock logo designed to tell B&W viewers show was in color Early color TVs cost equivalent of big-screen TVs today The Boston Globe notes that in 1965 color televisions cost the equivalent of what a midline HDTV set cost in 2000. The switch to color was not completed until the early 1970s.
Standards for Television
1950s: Marries couples had to sleep separate beds; Capri pants immodest 1990s: Mild nudity appears on broadcast television 1997: Broadcasters implement content ratings
Lucy and Desi End Live TV
1951: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz created I Love Lucy First sitcom to be filmed, rather than live Lucy and Desi hold onto syndication rights to the show, still being broadcast today
Ted Turner - Cable Pioneer
1963: Inherits failing billboard company from his father 1970: Buys Channel 17 in Atlanta Buys Atlanta Braves and Hawks sports franchises to provide programming for channel Turns Channel 17 into Superstation WTBS in 1976, takes local station national 1980: CNN becomes first cable 24-hour news network Developed idea of repackaging content across multiple channels 1996: Turner Broadcasting faces financial trouble, is acquired by media giant Time Warner
Educational/Public Broadcasting
1967: Corporation for Public Broadcasting created Public Broadcasting System (PBS) provides network-like programming to member stations PBS initially known for children's programming like Sesame Street 1990s: PBS expands audience with programming like Ken Burns documentaries
What's on Cable?
Affiliates of Big Four broadcast networks Independent and smaller network affiliates Superstations Local-access channels Cable networks (TNT, USA) Premium channels (HBO, Cinemax) Pay-per-view Audio services
An Earthquake in Slow Motion
1976 Average viewer has 7 channels; Big Three networks have 90 percent of viewers 1991: Average viewer has 33 channels; Big Three lose ⅓rd of viewers 2011: ESPN most profitable part of Disney Cable/Satellite more profitable because programming cheaper to produce, get subscription fees and ad revenue In 2010 cable networks brought in nearly $48 billion in revenue. Of that, $22.3 billion came from advertising revenue, but $25 billion came from fees from cable and satellite operators
Black Entertainment Network (BET)
1980: Washington, DC area local station First black-owned cable network Worth $2 billion at time it sold to Viacom
Big Three Becomes Big Four
1986: Rupert Murdoch launches Fox Network Attracted independent stations by offering them free programming Shows like NFL Football, The X-Files, The Simpsons, American Idol, Glee and So You Think You Can Dance have made Fox a top-rated broadcaster
Problem of Decency
2004: Janet Jackson's Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction"; decency rules become stricter 2012: U.S. Supreme Court throws out fines for Jackson exposure, but doesn't clarify decency standards No fines for Nancy Grace exposure during Dancing with the Stars No clear standard as of 2012
Television network
A company that provides programs to local stations around the country; the local affiliate stations choose which programs to carry
Videocassette Recorder (VCR)
A home videotape machine that allows viewers to make permanent copies of television shows and, this, choose when they want to watch the programs
Direct broadcast satellite (DBS)
A low-earth-orbit satellite that provides television programming via a small, pizza-sized satellite antenna; DBS is a competitor to cable TV
Public broadcasting service (PBS)
A nonprofit broadcast network that provides a wide range of public service and educational programs. It is funded by government appropriations, private industry underwriting, and viewer support
Standard digital television
A standard for digital broadcasting that allows six channels to fit in the broadcast frequency space occupied by a single analog signal
Community antenna television (CATV)
An early form of cable television used to distribute broadcast channels in communities with poor television reception
PeopleMeter
An electronic box used by the ratings company Nielsen Media Research to record which television shows people watch
Broadcast to Narrowcast
Broadcast networks provide programming to local affiliate stations Affiliates have licensed from FCC, equipment, and local staff If affiliate carries programming from network, get limited ad revenue and (may) get carriage fee Can also carry local and syndicated programming, keep all ad revenue
Satellite Distribution and Rebirth of Cable
By mid-1970s, FCC began loosening rules on cable companies 1975: HBO starts providing programming nationwide, sending signal to local cable companies via satellite Key point: HBO could send programming to 1,000 cable companies as cheaply as to one
Audience Ratings
Challenge of rating major and minor broadcast networks, major cable networks, and minor cable networks Problem of counting DVR audiences Nielsen Media Research is major rating company
Beginning of Cable Television
Community Antenna Television Early form of cable television used to distribute broadcast channels in communities with poor television reception Relatively expensive, was source of good TV signal, not additional programming
Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS)
Early satellite TV required large/expensive dish Smaller pizza-sized DBS cheaper, easier to use than old systems; competing with cable As of 2011, 29% of American households have DBS
Conversion to Digital Broadcasting
Farnsworth's television technology was analog. Same technology for decades B&W televisions could still receive new color signals In 2009, all broadcast television converted to digital. Analog sets went dark without either conversion box or cable/satellite
Digital Television
High-definition television (HDTV) High-resolution, widescreen format with enhanced sound Standard digital television Same quality as analog, but can broadcast up to six channels in airspace that carried one old-style channel
Anchor as Advocate
Jorge Ramos speaks to huge audience (triple CNN's audience) as Univision anchor Ramos is advocate for Latino and immigrant groups; part of shift on many cable channels to opinion journalism One thing that politicians of all stripes have learned is that Ramos never stops asking pointed questions and never pulls his pinches. And this has earned Ramos respect
Hollywood and the VCR
Late 1970s: Videocassette recorder (VCR) becomes household appliance Movie studios fight spread of VCRs, but 1984 Supreme Court decision says consumers can make recordings for own use 21st century: DVRs, DVDs, on-demand replacing VCR technology
Public access channels
Local cable television channels that air public affairs programming and other locally produced shows
Diversity on Television
Networks frequently criticized for ignoring people of color In 1999 the Big Four networks introduced twenty-six new shows; not one of them featured a non-white lead character Growth of non-English speaking characters Grey's Anatomy producer says shows need to move beyond the "sassy black friend" Orange in the New Black notable for diversity in characters of different ages, races, body types, socioeconomic backgrounds
Measuring Audiences
People Meters used in larger markets Sweeps periods used to measure audience size of individual stations Rating point Percentage of potential television audience actually watching the show Share Percentage of television sets in use tuned to a show
Invention of Television
Philo T. Farnsworth 1922: Diagram plans for television at age 16 1930: Receives patent for cathode ray tube RCA attempted to promote its own Vladimir Zworykin as inventor of TV 1947: Farnsworth's television patent expires just before TV starts to take off
Cutting the cord
Replacing traditional paid video services, such as cable or satellite television, with internet-based streaming video services
Telenovelas
Spanish-language soap operas popular in both Latin America and the United States
Television as a Social Force
Television brings world into the home in an easy-to-consume format Television becomes dominant source of shared experience Television can dominate people's leisure activity Video from non-TV sources is growing in popularity
Video on demand
Television channels that allow consumers to order movies, news, or other programs at any time over fiber-optic lines
Big Four networks
The broadcast landscape we know today; the Big Three networks plus the Fox network
Sweeps
The four times during the year that Nielsen Media Research measures the size of individual television station audiences
Big Three networks
The original television broadcast networks; NBC, CBS, and ABC
Share
The percentage of television sets in use that are tuned to a particular show
Rating point
The percentage of the total potential television audience actually watching a particular show. One rating point indicates an audience of approximately 1.14 million viewers